Seth “Shifty Shellshock” Binzer— As the lead singer of the band Crazy Town and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew— has passed away. He was 49 years old.
Shifty reportedly died on Monday at his Los Angeles home. The cause of death had not been released at the time of writing. TMZ An investigation is underway to determine the cause of Shifty's death, the report said.
Eight years after Shifty and his Crazy Town bandmates released the hit “Butterfly,” Shifty appeared on the first season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in the hopes that the reality TV doctor and his team would help him overcome his cocaine addiction. (Shifty admitted to using both powdered and crack cocaine.)
At the end of the season, Shifty checked into a sober living facility, but eventually relapsed. He appeared in the second season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and its spinoff. Sober HouseHe relapsed again. Sober House 2 In 2009.
In the years following his appearance on “Sober House 2,” Shifty continued to battle addiction, as well as legal issues, including being arrested for cocaine possession and assault. His last arrest was in 2023 for DUI.
But eight weeks ago, Shifty posted to Instagram with the hashtag “#Sober.”
“I am more of a lover than a fighter… but it is I who should love more, not fight… Mr. Shifty True Love # StaySober & Grateful,” he wrote.
In October 2023, Shifty Perfectly twisted A podcast that discusses addiction.
“My journey has taught me that no one is perfect, and addiction now affects a lot of families, so I try really hard to be transparent,” he said. “I'm not a high achiever. I'm not someone who's been sober for years. I think I'm my own worst critic, so I beat myself up about it, but there are a lot of people out there who have the same issues… I've learned how to deal with my limitations and my emotions… I've had access to rehab facilities and other facilities that a lot of kids don't have access to.”
“So I want to use my experience to help other people, because I think it took me years to find peace,” he added.
In the same interview, Shifty said he was working on starting a nonprofit to help kids with similar issues.
Sadly, Shifty is the 12th cast member to die after appearing on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. While some of the deaths were unrelated to the cast member's addiction, some were from Season 1. Joanie “China” Lora And in season 3 Mike Starr —It was drug-related.
In addition to Shifty, Joanie and Mike, other cast members on “Celebrity Rehab” include “Grease” star Jeff Conaway Doctors say drugs were the cause of death. Rodney King (He accidentally drowned with drugs in his body.) Nikki McKibbin (Died of a brain aneurysm) Actor Jason Davis (Overdose); former star Real World Joey Kovar (Cause of death was drug overdose) Singer Mindy McCready Actor (who committed suicide) Tom Sizemore (Died of Brain Aneurysm) Reality Star Frankie Rons (People who have taken an overdose) Townie Kitazono (The cause of death was heart disease.)
In 2013, Dr. Drew admitted he was “quit” “Celebrity Rehab” and its spinoffs because he was blamed every time a cast member died or relapsed.
“I'm tired of being blamed. It's ridiculous,” Dr. Drew told a radio host in 2013. “How can I be blamed for people getting sick and dying from a deadly disease, when people are questioning my motives and attacking me? How can I be blamed for Rodney King having a heart attack?”
“These are people who are really sick, and that's why they're dying,” Dr. Drew said. “These are people who have a life-threatening addiction.”
However, Dr. Drew, a physician and addiction treatment specialist, recently expressed optimism about the show returning in 2022. Teen Mom 2 Star Kyle Lowryof Hardly famous Dr. Drew, the podcaster, Teen Mom John McGregor, who has appeared on the show since it premiered in 2010, said he would like to see “Celebrity Rehab” return, especially if the new version of the show also focuses on the mental health issues of its celebrity guests.
“Not only is it important at this time, but the content is [abuse] “Medicine is at its limit right now, but we have new treatments,” Dr. Drew told Kyle. “We have new things we can show people and give them new hope so they understand what's available.”
Dr. Drew said: VH1 Drew still owns the rights to “Celebrity Rehab,” so the network would have to either go along with a reboot or relinquish the rights so Drew could take the show to another network.
Dr. Drew has yet to comment publicly about Shifty's death.
Related article: Kyle Lowry and Dr. Drew Pinsky discuss attempting a reboot of 'Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew' to address reality TV star's mental health issues
(Photos: Instagram, MTV)
