Crazy Town star Seth Binzer dies suddenly at 49 at home – tributes pour in for rap rock band frontman
CRAZY Town frontman Seth Binzer has died at the age of 49, it has been reported.
The rapper from Los Angeles also known as Shifty Shellshock was the co-founder of the rap rock band best known for their 2000 single “Butterfly.”
A report from the LA Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that Binzer died on June 24.
The rapper was found dead at home but the cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
Binzer was a co-founder of Crazy Town along with Bret Mazur who he met in 1992.
The pair initially started a band called Brimstone Sluggers in 1995 before forming Crazy Town in 1999.
Butterfly became their most successful and notable single after reaching the Billboard Hot 100 and staying there for two weeks.
With the band’s single hitting number one in several countries, their debut album The Gift of Game sold over 1.5 million copies, though this success was short-lived.
The band broke up in 2003 after their second album Darkhorse failed to make waves upon its release in 2002.
During this time, Binzer also worked on his solo career by working with Paul Oakenfold, a British musician and producer.
Binzer provided vocals for Oakenfold’s 2002 song Starry Eyed Surprise hitting the top 10 in the UK and the top 50 in the US.
A year after Crazy Town disbanded, Binzer released his first solo album Happy Love Sick under his stage name Shifty.
Crazy Town reformed in 2007 before becoming Crazy Town X in 2017 after Mazur and other members left.
Tributes have poured in for the father of three who has previously struggled with addiction.
“RIP old friend… remember you best as a kid in a skateboard with the entire world in front of you… sending love to your family,” LA photographer Mike Azria wrote on Instagram.
“I have no words for how sad this is,” producer Nikki Minton commented underneath Binzer’s last post.
“My friend for more than half my life. I’m going to miss him. Sorry to everyone who lost him.”
“This absolutely broke my heart…God damn it Seth why….. you’ve been in my life since we were kids,” another friend said.
“Just broke a lot of hearts… rest in peace old friend love you.”
Others mentioned the rapper’s struggles with addiction as they reacted to the news of his death.
“Rest in power, Shifty. Addiction is f***** up. I was really hoping sobriety was going to turn things around for you,” one said.
Binzer was featured on the reality television series Celebrity Rehab 1 and 2 as well as Sober House 1 and 2.
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Just weeks ago, he made a post on Instagram in which he discussed his sobriety.
The rapper posted a picture of a graffiti-covered sidewalk featuring a love heart and some flowers.
“I’m a lover than a fighter…but the one I need to love more instead of fight with is myself,” he wrote in the caption.
“Mr Shifty true love #Sober alive and grateful.”
Friend and actress Alice McMunn has revealed the depth of the musician’s demons in her tribute to him.
“RIP. Honestly, I have been witness to his struggle over the past 10 yrs and it was one of the hardest I have ever seen,” she wrote in her story.
The musician’s addiction struggles have previously seen him close to death.
People close to Binzer believe it was his drug addiction that saw him fall into a coma in 2012, according to TMZ.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Binzer’s booking agent and record label for comment.
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