Crazy Town frontman Seth “Shifty Shellshock” Binzer wanted to get help for his drug addiction before he died this week, according to his manager, who on Thursday revealed the musician’s cause of death.
Howie Hubberman, who represented the Los Angeles native, confirmed that the Crazy Town co-founder and former reality star died of an accidental drug overdose, People reported. Binzer died Monday, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. He was 49 years old.
Binzer “was never able to reach a more successful level in dealing with his addictions,” Hubberman told People in a statement released Thursday.
He added: “We all tried, but in the end we all failed, or Shifty would still be here.”
Binzer formed Crazy Town, the rap-rock band behind the 2000 hit “Butterfly,” with Bret “Epic” Mazur in Los Angeles in 1995. The group broke up in 2003 but reunited in 2007.
Binzer was also a reality star who spoke openly about her struggle with addiction on television shows from 2008 to 2010, including “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” and “Sober House.”
The Los Angeles County medical examiner said Binzer died at his home, but did not reveal the cause of death amid the ongoing investigation. Hubberman, however, revealed that the cause of Binzer's death “was a combination of prescription medications and drugs purchased on the street.”
“Shifty was a friend and he really wanted to get it together,” Hubberman told People. “Unfortunately, no one had the exact tools to do this, including myself.”
Mazur, in a statement posted Tuesday on Facebook, also reflected on his late collaborator's battle with addiction, a battle Binzer “continually fought in private and in public.”
“Despite the hardships, he brought immense joy and energy to the lives of those around him,” Mazur said. “I wish with all my heart that his story had ended differently, but we find solace in the hope that Seth has finally found the peace he was so desperately seeking all these years.”
The Crazy Town co-founder added: “His spirit will live on in the music we made and in the hearts of those who loved him.”
Mazur left Crazy Town in 2017 and Binzer continued recording under the name Crazy Town X. In February, Crazy Town X released the four-track EP “Flirting With Disaster.”
