Crazy Town singer Shifty Shellshock dies aged 49
Entertainment
He struggled with addiction throughout his life
(Web Desk) - Shifty Shellshock, the frontman of rap-rock band Crazy Town, has died aged 49.
The musician was best known for the 2001 single Butterfly, which was a US number one hit, and reached number three in the UK.
Born Seth Binzer, he founded Crazy Town in 1995, and later enjoyed success with DJ Paul Oakenfold on the club track Starry Eyed Surprise.
However, he struggled with addiction throughout his life, addressing his condition on reality shows such as Celebrity Rehab and its follow-up, Sober House.
He was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on Monday 24 June. A cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
Born in 1974, Binzer grew up around the music business.
His father Rollin Binzer directed the 1973 concert film Ladies And Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones and designed album covers for Chess Records; while his mother, Leslie Brooks, was a model.
He was inspired to make rap music after discovering the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill album, and formed Crazy Town after meeting Bret “Epic” Mazur at a recording session in the early 1990s.
Envisioned as a hip-hop group with a full instrumental backing band, they did not get off to a flying start.
The first two singles from their debut album The Gift Of The Game failed to chart, and the group withdrew from the Ozzfest festival in 2000, after Binzer was arrested for throwing a chair out of a window while drunk.
However, the album also contained Butterfly - a laid-back love song, that sampled a riff from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers' instrumental, Pretty Little Ditty.
Released in 2001, it became an instant hit, thanks largely to Binzer's indelibly catchy chorus: "Come my lady / Come, come my lady / You're my butterfly / Sugar, baby".
