Pitchman Billy Mays Found Dead

[Homer]

Pitchman Billy Mays Found Dead
Posted Jun 28th 2009 11:50AM by TMZ Staff

TMZ has confirmed TV pitchman Billy Mays was found dead today in his home in Tampa, Florida early this morning.

According to the Tampa PD, the 50-year-old TV pitchman was found unresponsive by his wife Deborah at 7:45 AM.

TMZ has learned Mays' body has already been removed from his home.

Mays had just returned from Philadelphia, where he shot a new OxiClean commercial. He was a passenger aboard a plane that suffered a blown front tire upon landing. He told a local TV station, "All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."

We're told Mays was at his home around 6:00 PM last night, and according to a source Mays was "acting fine and normal ... he was talking business with his father-in-law."

According to cops, there are no signs of forced entry to the residence and no foul play is suspected.

The Medical Examiner's office is expected to complete the autopsy by tomorrow afternoon.

Billy's wife Deborah just released the following statement: "Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times."

Discovery Channel spokeswoman Elizabeth Hillman released a statement Sunday that reads, "Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth. Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal andcompassionate friend."

[bobby]

  why billy mays why?! we need more fantastic products!

[Homer]

why billy mays why?! we need more fantastic products!

Sounds like God "CALLED RIGHT NOW!!!" like Billy says in his infommercials 

[disneyland lady]

I wonder what they will do with the new commercial he just filmed.

[Homer]

I wonder what they will do with the new commercial he just filmed.

Billy was way more entertaining than the Brit "Sully" I watched their tv show every week. I just hope this doesn't mean more of the ShamWow guy. I can't stand him.

[Joe C]

 

[swamp]

 

[bobby]

is a world without billy mays a world we want to live in?!

[disneyland lady]

Since BET is having a Michael Jackson Tribute tonite why doesn't the infomercial channel have one for Billy.

[Joe C]

Since BET is having a Michael Jackson Tribute tonite why doesn't the infomercial channel have one for Billy.

Great question.

[bobby]

Since BET is having a Michael Jackson Tribute tonite why doesn't the infomercial channel have one for Billy.

mj on BET??

[Mistyeyed]

i liked him..he was more the "average guy"

[disneyland lady]

mj on BET??

Don't matter if your Black Or White ♪♫♪♫

[Hocky]

    RIP Billy Mays

[~Sassy~]

Don't matter if your Black Or White ♪♫♪♫

You're a funny lady! 

[Mayhem]

TAMPA, Fla. - An autopsy shows that cocaine use contributed to the heart disease that suddenly killed boisterous TV pitchman Billy Mays in June, officials announced Friday.

The 50-year bearded TV personality died of a heart attack in his sleep after going to bed at his Tampa condo the night of June 27. His wife found him unresponsive the next morning.

The Hillsborough County medical examiner's office Friday said Mays had last used cocaine days before his death.

The report said that although Mays died from heart disease, cocaine use was a contributing cause of death.

[Hocky]

What a shame!  Here I thought he was a squeaky clean kinda guy! ( no pun intended!  )

[Nymph Sorceress]

TAMPA, Fla. - An autopsy shows that cocaine use contributed to the heart disease that suddenly killed boisterous TV pitchman Billy Mays in June, officials announced Friday.

The 50-year bearded TV personality died of a heart attack in his sleep after going to bed at his Tampa condo the night of June 27. His wife found him unresponsive the next morning.

The Hillsborough County medical examiner's office Friday said Mays had last used cocaine days before his death.

The report said that although Mays died from heart disease, cocaine use was a contributing cause of death.

Can't say I saw that one coming.
However, I guess it explains how he was so damn chipper all the damn time!

[Stinkerbell]

Billy Mays' Family Says They Never Saw Signs of Cocaine Use  (Did they never watch his infommercials?)
Saturday , August 08, 2009


The family of TV pitchman Billy Mays said they were never aware that he used cocaine or other non-prescription drugs before his death and they were considering whether to have an independent review of an official autopsy.

The Hillsborough County medical examiner's office released the results of its autopsy on Friday, finding that cocaine use had contributed to the heart disease that suddenly killed the 50-year-old in June. He was discovered by his wife in bed at their Tampa condo the morning of June 28.

Mays was a pop-culture fixture with his energetic commercials pitching gadgets and cleaning products like Orange Glo and OxiClean.

While heart disease was the primary cause of his death, the medical examiner listed cocaine as a "contributory cause of death."

The medical examiner "concluded that cocaine use caused or contributed to the development of his heart disease, and thereby contributed to his death," the office said in a press release.

The office said Mays last used cocaine in the few days before his death but was not under the influence of the drug when he died. Hillsborough County spokeswoman Lori Hudson said nothing in the toxicology report indicated the frequency of Mays' cocaine use.

Cocaine can raise the arterial blood pressure, directly cause thickening of the left wall of the ventricle and accelerate the formation of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries, the release said.

The toxicology tests also showed therapeutic amounts of painkillers hydrocodone, oxycodone and tramadol, as well as anti-anxiety drugs alprazolam and diazepam. Mays had suffered hip problems and was scheduled for hip-replacement surgery the day after he was found dead.

Mays' family questioned the finding of cocaine and criticized the medical examiner's officer for issuing the report.

"We were totally unaware of any non-prescription drug usage and are actively considering an independent evaluation of the autopsy results," Mays' family said in a statement.

The statement said the family was "extremely disappointed" by the release of the information. They said the report "contains speculative conclusions that are frankly unnecessary and tend to obscure the conclusion that Billy suffered from chronic, untreated hypertension, which only demonstrates how important it is to regularly monitor one's health."

Longtime friend and colleague AJ Khubani, founder and CEO of the "As Seen on TV" product company Telebrands, said Mays never showed any signs of drug use and was always prepared for his many commercial shoots.

"I'm just shocked," Khubani said. "He was the model of a responsible citizen."

Mays, a McKees Rocks, Pa., native, 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.

He got his start on TV on the Home Shopping Network and then branched out into commercials and infomercials. He developed such a strong following that he became the subject of a reality TV series, Discovery Channel's "Pitchmen."

[disneyland lady]

Originally I had thought that he might have a posthumous shelf life with his ads but as soon as I saw one of them I immediately thought 'he is drugged and not that hopped up about the product'. I imagine others will think the same way. Sad, but he did it to himself.