Shifty Shellshock, Crazy Town Singer, Dies At 49

Shifty Shellshock, the frontman of rap rock band Crazy Town, has died. He was 49. As per a report by Variety, Shellshock died at his home on Monday. Meanwhile, a cause of death has not been disclosed.

When did Shellshock join Crazy Town?

Shellshock met Crazy Town co-founder Bret Mazur in 1992. They started out as the Brimstone Sluggers, but by 1999, their name had changed to Crazy Town, and the band had expanded to include Rust Epique, James Bradley Jr. (aka JBJ), Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein (aka DJ AM), and Antonio Lorenzo "Trouble" Valli. Crazy Town's debut album, The Gift of Game, was released in November 1999, and the band toured with the Red Hot Chili Peppers shortly after.

Crazy Town's third single from The Gift of Game, Butterfly, was released in October 2000. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks and became the band's biggest hit.

Crazy Town disbanded after their second album, Darkhorse (2002), failed to capture the same fervor. Shellshock then pursued a solo career, working with Paul Oakenfold on his 2002 hit Starry Eyed Surprise, which peaked at number 41 on the charts. Shellshock released his first solo album, Happy Love Sick, in 2004, and it was moderately successful in Europe.

Shellshock and his addiction struggles

Shellshock had been open about his addiction struggles and appeared on several reality shows about it, including two seasons of VH1's Celebrity Rehab and two seasons of its spin-off show Sober House. He was admitted to the hospital in 2012 after losing consciousness and falling into a coma before eventually recovering. He was most recently arrested in 2022 for a DUI.

Shellshock is survived by three children: Halo, Gage, and Phoenix.