Jun 29, 2009 2:54 am US/Eastern
Autopsy Expected Monday On Pitchman Billy Mays
Wife Finds Mays Unresponsive Morning After He Was Hit In Head During Hard Airliner Landing
TAMPA, Fla. (CBS) ―
-
-
Billy Mays, perhaps TV's most well-known pitchman, was found dead at his Tampa Bay-area home June 28, 2009. Mays, known for his loud voice, black beard, exuberant thumbs-up sign, and successful pitches for cleaning and other household products, was 50.
AP
Billy Mays, the television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as OxiClean, Kaboom!, Orange Glo and a number of other household products, was found dead Sunday morning, Tampa police said. He was 50.
Mays was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m. after being found unresponsive by his wife at their condo, authorities said. There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play. The coroner's office said it expects to have an autopsy completed by Monday afternoon.
Mays was a passenger on U.S. Airways Flight 1241 from Philadelphia that sustained a hard landing after a front tire blew out Saturday afternoon at Tampa International Airport. A spokeswoman for the Tampa Airport Authority told the
St. Petersburg Times newspaper that paramedics responded to the Boeing 737 after it came to a stop on the runway, but that none of the passengers -- including Mays -- requested medical attention.
''All of a sudden as we hit, you know, it was just the hardest hit, all
the things from the ceiling started dropping,'' a Tampa Bay television station quoted Mays as saying. ''It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head.''
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.
In addition to his infommercials, for the past several weeks Mays had
been featured on the reality TV show "Pitchmen" on the Discovery
Channel. It followed Mays and fellow pitchman Anthony Sullivan in their
marketing jobs.
His ubiquitousness and thumbs-up, in-your-face pitches won Mays plenty
of fans. People lined up at his personal appearances for autographed
color glossies, and strangers stopped him in airports to chat about the
products.
Mays was in New York City two weeks ago for a Billy Mays look-alike
contest at Madison Square Park, June 13-14. He also greeted fans in
Times Square.
"With every product you see me on TV with, I've turned down 100, 150 more," Mays told the
Daily News. "I've been on TV for 11 years, and all I have is my good name."
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.
"Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days," said Mays' wife Deborah in a statement distributed by the Tampa Police Department.
"Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times."
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.''
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
2009 Celebrity Deaths
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments