Crazy Town frontman Shifty Shellshock’s sudden death at age 49 has been linked to fentanyl, officials have confirmed.
In a statement released yesterday (September 24), per Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner revealed that Shellshock – real name Seth Brooks Binzer – died from the combined effects of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. They also confirm previous statements by Binzer’s representative, Howie Hubberman, that the death was an accident at his home earlier this year (June 24).
At the time, Hubberman said: “Seth has been struggling with substance abuse problems for quite sometime. Seth was not happy with the daily struggle that’s called life. Some people cope in many different ways. It’s unfortunate we lose so many people to addiction and accessibility to harmful drugs. Shifty was a real-life tragedy. Too fast, too hard, too soon.”
The frontman had also been vocal about his personal struggles in the past – appearing on various reality series in the ’00s in a bid to raise awareness for and help combat his struggle with addiction.
Back in 2012, it was reported that the artist had been in a coma and was receiving treatment in a Los Angeles Intensive Care Unit. He had remained in the hospital’s care for a week and, according to various outlets, was induced into the coma due to drug-related issues.
That same year he was convicted of cocaine possession and domestic violence charges against his girlfriend. He was sentenced to three years probation.
In more recent years he had encountered further battles in his personal life, and in 2023 was arrested for drunk-driving. He also made headlines after he got into an altercation with bandmate Bobby Reeves during one of his live shows.
He is survived by three sons, and a full autopsy report with more details is expected to be issued next month (October 11).
Earlier this year, UK harm reduction services issued warnings about a fake and laced benzo “crisis”, which could lead to a “fentanyl-style epidemic”.