As if McMahon, Farrah and Jackson weren't sad enough
Drew McDougal
Billy Mays, TV Pitchman, Dies at 50
Michael C. Weimar for The New York Times
Billy Mays filmed segments for a Kaboom commercial at Omnicomm Studios in Clearwater, Fla., in February.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Billy Mays, the burly, bearded television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, has died. He was 50.
Tampa police said Mays was found unresponsive by his wife Sunday morning. A fire rescue crew pronounced him dead at 7:45 a.m.
There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play, said Lt. Brian Dugan of the Tampa Police Department, who wouldn't answer any more questions about how Mays' body was found because of the ongoing investigation. The coroner's office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon.
''Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days,'' said Mays' wife, Deborah. ''Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times.''
Tampa area media outlets reported that Mays was a passenger on a U.S. Airways flight that made a rough landing on Saturday afternoon at Tampa International Airport, apparently blowing its front tires in an incident that left debris on the runway.
Tampa Bay's Fox television affiliate interviewed Mays after the incident.
''All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping,'' MyFox Tampa Bay quoted him as saying. ''It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head.''
U.S. Airways officials said Sunday they could not immediately confirm that Mays was a passenger.
Born William Mays in McKees Rocks, Pa., on July 20, 1958, Mays developed his style demonstrating knives, mops and other ''as seen on TV'' gadgets on Atlantic City's boardwalk. For years he worked as a hired gun on the state fair and home show circuits, attracting crowds with his booming voice and genial manner.
After meeting Orange Glo International founder Max Appel at a home show in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s, Mays was recruited to demonstrate the environmentally friendly line of cleaning products on the St. Petersburg-based Home Shopping Network.
Commercials and informercials followed, anchored by the high-energy Mays showing how it's done while tossing out kitschy phrases like, ''Long live your laundry!''
Recently he's been seen on commercials for a wide variety of products and is featured on the reality TV show ''Pitchmen'' on the Discovery Channel, which follows Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs. He's also been seen in ESPN ads.
His ubiquitousness and thumbs-up, in-your-face pitches won Mays plenty of fans. People line up at his personal appearances for autographed color glossies, and strangers stop him in airports to chat about the products.
''I enjoy what I do,'' Mays told The Associated Press in a 2002 interview. ''I think it shows.''
Mays liked to tell the story of giving bottles of OxiClean to the 300 guests at his wedding, and doing his ad spiel (''powered by the air we breathe!'') on the dance floor at the reception. Visitors to his house typically got bottles of cleaner and housekeeping tips.
Discovery Channel spokeswoman Elizabeth Hillman released a statement Sunday extending sympathy to the Mays family.
''Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth,'' Hillman's statement said. ''Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend.''--
Buaidh no bas
Noah Walden
Alex Romero
Alex Romero
http://www.seattlepi.com/tvguide/409112_tvgif7.html
Autopsy: Billy Mays' Death Linked to Cocaine
By ADAM BRYANT
TV GUIDE
An autopsy shows that cocaine contributed to the heart disease that suddenly killed TV infomercial pitchman Billy Mays in June, according to officials.
Investigators previously determined that Mays, 50, had a heart attack in his sleep at his Florida home. His wife found him unresponsive in bed on June 28. Heart disease is still listed as the primary cause of death.
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The Hillsborough County medical examiner "concluded that cocaine use caused or contributed to the development of his heart disease, and thereby contributed to his death," according to a statement to The Associated Press.
The autopsy showed that Mays used cocaine a few days before his death, but was not under the influence of the drug when he died. The autopsy could not determine the frequency of cocaine use.
Toxicology tests also showed therapeutic amounts of painkillers hydrocodone, oxycodone and tramadol, as well as anti-anxiety drugs alprazolam and diazepam. Mays was scheduled to have a hip-replacement surgery the day after he was found dead.
Mays, best known for his boisterous delivery when hawking products like Orange Glo and OxiClean, also hosted the Discovery series Pitchmen.