Pitchman Billy Mays Dies

From LoveToKnow Celebrity

Billy Mays, who is best known as the screaming pitchman on infomercials for such products as OxiClean and Orange Glo, has died. He was 50 years old.

While no official cause of death has been pronounced, it is widely speculated that Mays' death was the direct result of being struck in the head with an object after a harsh airplane landing the night before his passing.

US Airways Landing

Billy Mays was on board a US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Tampa, Florida, where he resided. The flight took a hard and fast landing at Tampa International Airport, blowing out the front tires and spreading debris on the runway.

Mays was interviewed after the flight, and claimed that he was struck in the head by items from the overhead compartments. He added, laughing, that he had "a hard head."

Wife Finds Mays Unresponsive

The following morning, on Sunday, June 28, 2009, Mays' wife woke to find her husband unresponsive. He had died during the night, possibly as the result of his head injuries, and was pronounced dead at the scene at about 7:45am.

Pitchmen on Discovery Channel

In addition to his infomercials, which made him a household name, Mays was the co-star of the Discovery Channel reality TV series Pitchmen, which followed Mays and fellow advertising star Anthony Sullivan (Sully). The show is currently airing its first season, and Mays had been hitting the talk show circuit to promote the program. He was featured the week before his death on the new Tonight Show, hosted by Conan O'Brien.

Legacy

Billy Mays has pitched over thirty products and services on television and at public events such as fairs and exhibitions. He is widely known for his bright blue shirts, impeccably trimmed beard, and his habit of shouting at the camera.

Born in 1958 in Pennsylvania, Mays has traveled across the country for the past twelve years as a pitchman. His family has asked that the press respect their wishes for privacy as they deal with his sudden and untimely death.

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