Seth “Shifty Shellshock” Binzer— greatest often known as the singer of the band Loopy City and for starring on Movie star Rehab with Dr. Drew— has died. He was 49.
Shifty reportedly handed away on Monday at his dwelling in Los Angeles. As of press time, no reason for demise has been launched; nevertheless, TMZ reports that an investigation is underway to find out how Shifty died.
Eight years after Shifty and his Loopy City bandmates launched their hit track “Butterfly,” Shifty appeared on the very first season of ‘Movie star Rehab with Dr. Drew’ in hopes that the truth TV doc and his workforce might assist him kick his habit to cocaine. (Shifty admitted to utilizing each the powder type of coke, in addition to crack cocaine.)
On the finish of the season, Shifty entered a sober dwelling dwelling however finally relapsed. He appeared on the second season of ‘Movie star Rehab with Dr. Drew,’ in addition to the present’s spin-off Sober Home, the place he would go on to relapse once more. He then appeared on Sober Home 2 in 2009.
Within the years following his look on ‘Sober Home 2,’ Shifty continued to wrestle with habit, along with authorized points, with arrests for cocaine possession and battery. His closing arrest got here in 2023 for DUI.
Eight weeks in the past, nevertheless, Shifty posted to Instagram and used the hashtag #Sober
“I’m a lover than a fighter …however the one I want to like extra As a substitute of battle with is myself .. mr shifty true Love # Sober alive and grateful,” he wrote.
In October 2023, Shifty went on the Completely Twisted podcast to debate habit.
“By means of my journey, I’ve discovered that nobody’s good, and now habit touches so many households, so I work actually exhausting on being clear,” he mentioned. “I’m not the ‘A’ scholar; I’m not somebody who acquired sober and stayed sober all these years, and I beat myself up about that as a result of I believe I’m my largest critic. However lots of people have the identical drawback…. I’m studying my boundaries and learn how to cope with my feelings… I’ve been in a position to entry rehabs and issues that I do know a whole lot of youngsters don’t have the entry to.
“So, I actually wish to use my expertise to assist different folks as a result of I believe it’s taken me years to seek out peace,” he added.
Throughout the identical interview, Shifty said that he was engaged on making a non-profit group to assist youngsters with comparable points.
Sadly, Shifty is the twelfth solid member from ‘Movie star Rehab with Dr. Drew’ to die after showing on the present. Whereas among the deaths weren’t associated to the solid members’ addictions, others— resembling Season 1’s Joanie “Chyna” Laurer and Season 3’s Mike Starr —have been drug-related.
Along with Shifty, Joanie and Mike, the opposite deceased ‘Movie star Rehab’ solid members embrace “Grease” star Jeff Conaway (whose physician said that medication contributed to his demise); Rodney King (who died by by accident drowning with medication in his system); Nikki McKibbin (who died from a mind aneurysm); actor Jason Davis (who overdosed); former star of The Actual World Joey Kovar (whose demise was brought on by an opiate overdose); singer Mindy McCready (who dedicated suicide); actor Tom Sizemore (who died from a mind aneurysm); actuality star Frankie Lons (who overdosed); and Tawny Kitaen (whose demise was brought on by coronary heart illness).
In 2013, Dr. Drew confirmed that he “was done” with ‘Celebrity Rehab’ and its spin-offs, primarily as a result of him being blamed at any time when a solid member died or relapsed.
“I’m uninterested in taking all the warmth. It’s simply ridiculous,” Dr. Drew told the hosts of a radio program in 2013. “To have folks questioning my motives and taking purpose at me as a result of folks get sick and die as a result of they’ve a life-threatening illness, and I take the blame? Rodney King has a coronary heart assault and I take blame for that?
“These are actually sick folks, that’s why they die,” Dr. Drew said. “These are folks with life-threatening habit.”
Extra-recently, although, Dr. Drew— who’s each an inner medication physician and an habit medication specialist— appeared open to rebooting the present. Throughout a 2022 look on Teen Mother 2 star Kail Lowry’s Barely Famous podcast, Dr. Drew– who has hosted the Teen Mother Reunions for the reason that present premiered in 2010— said that he’d prefer to see ‘Movie star Rehab’ come again, particularly if the brand new model of the present would additionally deal with the psychological well being problems with its well-known contributors.
“Not solely wouldn’t it be an necessary factor for the second, as a result of substance [abuse] is off the chain proper now, however we’ve new modalities for therapy,” Dr. Drew informed Kail. “We now have new issues we might present folks, and new hope to provide them to assist them perceive what’s out there.”
Dr. Drew said that VH1 nonetheless owns the rights to ‘Movie star Rehab,’ so the community would both must get on-board with the reboot or launch the rights to the present so Drew might take it to a different community.
Dr. Drew has but to publicly touch upon Shifty’s demise.
RELATED STORY: Kail Lowry & Dr. Drew Pinsky Discuss Trying to Reboot ‘Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew’ To Address Reality TV Stars’ Mental Health Issues
(Pictures: Instagram; MTV)
