MUSIC
Shifty Shellshock cause of death revealed
The frontman of 90s rap-rock group, Crazy Town passed away at his Los Angeles home in June, aged 49. The cause of death has now been disclosed.
Exactly three months after his passing, singer Shifty Shellshock’s cause of death has been revealed. The frontman of American nu-metal rap rock band Crazy Town passed away in his Los Angeles home on 24 June. His death was confirmed by County Medical Examiner Dr. Vadims Poukens.
Shifty Shellshock died of an accidental drugs overdose
The singer/actor/rapper, whose real name is Seth Brooks Binzer, was just a few weeks away from turning 50 when he was found unresponsive. Los Angeles Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as an accidental drug overdose. Traces of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine were discovered in the singer’s body.
“An examination was completed on June 25, and after the receipt of relevant test and study results, the cause and manner of death were certified on September 24. The Medical Examiner’s report is expected to be ready by October 11″.
In a statement, Binzer’s family said “To Seth, the world was art. He loved every part of it, from music and fashion to graffiti, skateboarding and his hometown of Los Angeles. Hi proudest accomplishment was his three sons: Halo, Gage and Phoenix. He loved his three boys more than anything, and his dedication to his music and fans never wavered.”
Shifty Shellshock’s battles with addiction
Binzer struggled for many years with drugs and alcohol addiction. In March 2012, he was hospitalized and spent several days in a coma.
He appeared on reality TV shows VH1′s Celebrity Rehab in 2008 and Sober House the following year, in which he detailed his struggles with cocaine and crack.
He founded Crazy Town in 1995 - a nu-metal rap rock band influenced by the west coast rap scene and artists such as N.W.A, Cypress Hill and Ice-T. The band’s biggest hit was their 1999 release ‘Butterfly’, which spent a week at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 2001.
The band released three studio albums: The Gift of the Game (1999), Darkhorse (2003) and The Brimstone Sluggers (2015) and 16 singles - the most recent being the three-track EP Flirting With Disaster, released in digital download format in February.
At the end of April, Binzer uploaded what turned out to be his final post on Instagram. With a photograph showing what looks like his feet in retro black and white plimsolls by a message scrawled on the pavement: “True love. Long Beach” which he accompanied with a text message: “I’m a lover than a fighter …but the one I need to love more Instead of fight with is myself .. mr shifty true Love # Sober alive and grateful”.