Shifty Shellshock, who sang Crazy Town’s #1 hit “Butterfly,” dead at 49

Shifty Shellshock, who with the band Crazy Town scored a #1 hit with the 2000 single “Butterfly,” has died at the age of 49.

According to the LA County Medical Examiner’s website, Shellshock, born Seth Binzer, died on June 24 at his home. The cause of death was not listed.

Shellshock formed Crazy Town in 1995 with Bret Mazur; the band’s lineup also included Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM. In 1999, they released their debut album The Gift of Game. The third single, “Butterfly,” which sampled Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ “Pretty Little Ditty,” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band split in 2003 after the relative failure of their second album, Darkhorse.

Shellshock then scored a minor hit in 2002 with “Starry Eyed Surprise,” a collaboration with DJ Paul Oakenfold. He released a solo album, Happy Love Sick, in 2004. In 2007, Crazy Town reformed and in 2015, released a new album, The Brimstone Sluggers. After Mazur’s departure in 2017, Shellshock continued the band under the name Crazy Town X.

In 2023, “Butterfly” was reworked as “Butterflies” by GAYLE for the soundtrack of the hit movie Barbie.

Shellshock, who had three children, had struggled with addiction in the past, and appeared on reality shows including Celebrity Rehab and Sober House. Over the years, he’d been arrested for battery, domestic disturbances and drug possession; most recently, he was arrested for DUI in 2022.