TV Pitchman Billy Mays Found Dead at Home

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SUN, 28 JUNE 2009
TV Pitchman Billy Mays Found Dead at Home



Infomerical pitchman Billy Mays has died, Tampa police confirm. He was 50.

Mays, who was known for selling products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, was found dead by his wife Deborah Mays at their home in Tampa, Florida.

“Although Billy lived a public life, we don’t anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days,” Mrs. Mays said in a statement on Sunday. “Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times.”

On Saturday, Billy was on board a U.S. Airways flight that blew out its front tires as it landed at a Tampa airport from Philadelphia. Billy tweeted, “Just had a close call landing in Tampa. The tires blew out upon landing. Stuck in the plane on the runway. You can always count on US Air.”

During an interview after the incident, Billy said, “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.” Authorities haven’t connected the incident to Billy’s death yet.

Billy’s son @youngbillymays is currently with the family. He says. “Not quite sure what to say right now. All the support from you guys does help.”

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TV pitchman Billy Mays had heart disease, coroner says

TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- TV pitchman Billy Mays' death appeared to be from heart disease, not a bump to the head, according to the Hillsborough County medical examiner.

OxiClean pitchman Billy Mays died Sunday morning at his home in Tampa, authorities said.

The final cause of death will not be known until after toxicology results are available, Dr. Vernard Adams said at a Monday news conference.

Mays, 50, was pronounced dead at his home near Tampa Sunday morning, after his wife Deborah found him unresponsive, Tampa police said.

The autopsy conducted Monday morning revealed Mays suffered from hypertensive heart disease, Adams said.

"It's not uncommon to have a sudden death with this kind of disease," Adams said.

"Billy would be overwhelmed to see that his life touched so many people in a positive way," Deborah Mays said in a statement Monday.

"While it provides some closure to learn that heart disease took Billy from us, it certainly doesn't ease the enormous void that his death has created in our lives," she said.

Billy Mays had told a friend before he went to sleep Saturday he was not feeling well.

"He said he was groggy, he wasn't feeling that great. He wanted to get some sleep," Todd Schnitt said. Watch friends remember Billy Mays »

Mays was on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia that had a hard landing Saturday at Tampa International Airport after the front tire of the plane blew out.

After the flight, Mays told a Tampa 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."

Mays, with his booming voice, was famous for fronting products such as OxiClean and Orange Glo in TV commercials.

No evidence of exterior or interior head trauma was found during Mays' autopsy, Adams said.

The Discovery Channel -- which airs "Pitchmen" co-hosted by Mays -- issued a statement saying, "It is with incredible sadness that we have to report that Billy Mays died in his sleep last night. 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 and compassionate friend."

[Rm1985]

Another 50 year old. Well I am still not convinced Michale Jackson died but officially he did and he was 50. Its very sad to see so many young seemingly healthy people passing away.

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Yeah. Billy Mays had some kind of heart disease, but otherwise was pretty healthy.
He wasn't supposed to die, but some doctor said that with the disease he had - it's not uncommon for people to randomly die.