Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town Died by Overdose (Exclusive) ArticlePure

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

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

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

“The cause of death was a combination of prescription drugs and street purchased drugs,” continues the manager. “Shifty was a friend and really wanted to get himself fixed — unfortunately no one had the exact tools to do this, myself included.”

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet listed a cause of death for Binzer pending the return of toxicology reports.

Throughout his career, Binzer was open about his experience with substance abuse and appeared on the VH1 shows Celebrity Rehab and Sober House. In 2012, he was arrested on charges of battery and drug possession, according to a TMZ article at the time. He was also arrested on DUI charges a decade later, per Variety.

Beyond substance abuse, Binzer was hospitalized in 2012 after losing consciousness and falling into a coma, before recovering, according to Variety. He also reportedly got into an altercation with Crazy Town guitarist Bobby Reeves in 2023 after one of their shows.

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

The band filled out with musicians Rust Epique, James Bradley Jr., Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein and Antonio Lorenzo “Trouble” Valli, and Crazy Town’s debut album, The Gift of Game, dropped in 1999.

The album’s third single, “Butterfly,” became Crazy Town’s first and only No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2002, the band released a second album before splitting the following year. Several reunions have since occurred.

After the group’s initial split, Binzer pursued a solo career and released an album, Happy Love Sick, in 2004. He also collaborated with English music producer Paul Oakenfold on his song “Starry Eyed Surprise,” which was released in 2002 and reached No. 6 in the U.K. music charts.