Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town's Manager Confirms He Died of Overdose: 'No One Had the Exact Tools' (Exclusive)

Addiction ultimately played a role in the death of Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town.

After the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner announced that the “Butterfly” rocker, whose real name is Seth Binzer, was found dead at the age of 49 in his LA home on June 24, the band’s manager confirmed to PEOPLE that he died of accidental drug overdose.

“Seth Binzer, after his battle with addiction and the rapid success of Crazy Town with ‘Butterfly,’ has never been able to reach out on a more successful level to deal with his addictions,” Hubberman tells PEOPLE. “We all tried but we all failed in the end or Shifty would still be here.”

Shifty Shellshock, Crazy Town frontman and ‘Butterfly’ singer, has died at 49.

Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town.

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“The cause of death was a combination of prescription drugs and drugs bought on the street,” the presenter continues. “Shifty was a friend and really wanted to fix it – unfortunately no one had the right tools to do it, including me.”

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet released Binzer’s cause of death pending the return of toxicology reports.

Throughout his career, Binzer has been open about his experiences with substance abuse and has appeared on VH1 Celebrity rehabilitation and A sober house. In 2012, he was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and drug possession, according to a TMZ article at the time. He was also arrested on DUI charges a decade later, per Diversity.

Carmen Electra shares memories of ‘very kind’ friend Shifty Shellshock after his death at 49 (Exclusive)

Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town are playing in the UK in June 2014.

Gary Wolstenholme/Redferns via Getty

In addition to his drug addiction, Binzer was hospitalized in 2012 after losing consciousness and falling into a coma before recovering, according to Diversity. He also reportedly got into an argument with Crazy Town guitarist Bobby Reeves in 2023 after one of their shows.

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Binzer entered the music world in 1992 with fellow singer, rapper and band member Bret “Epic” Mazur, and the pair formed a group called Brimstone Sluggers — which became Crazy Town in 1995, according to Diversity and Deadline.

Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town in Hollywood in October 2011.

Chelsea Lauren/WireImage

The band consisted of musicians Rust Epique, James Bradley Jr., Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein and Antonio Lorenzo “Trouble” Valli, and Crazy Town’s debut album, The gift of the gamedropped in 1999

The album’s third single, “Butterfly”, became Crazy Town’s first and only #1 hit on the Board Hot 100. The band released a second album in 2002 before breaking up the following year. Since then, several reunions have taken place.

After the group’s initial split, Binzer pursued a solo career and released the album, Happy love sick2004. He also collaborated with English music producer Paul Oakenfold on his song “Starry Eyed Surprise”, which was released in 2002 and reached number 6 in the UK music charts.

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Source: HIS Education