Billy Mays, the pitchman, dead at 50

[moyer777]

Gee whiz. this is crazy.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/article1014018.ece

TAMPA — Billy Mays, the TV pitchman whose trademark voice helped sell everything from cleaning supplies to baking soda, was found dead this morning by his wife at his Tampa home. No cause of death has been reported and no foul play is suspected, according to Tampa police.

Mays, 50, was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m. at a Bowen Daniel Drive condo. His wife, Deborah Mays, found him unresponsive this morning. The Medical Examiner's Office will complete Mays' autopsy by tomorrow afternoon.

"Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days," Deborah Mays said in a statement today. "Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times."

Mays was a passenger Saturday of a 737 airplane that had a front tire blow out, said spokeswoman Brenda Geoghagan. Mays and other passengers were interviewed by US Airways staff after the hard landing. Responders reported no injuries.

"Tampa Fire (Rescue) reported no injuries. Nobody asked for treatment," Geoghagan said. "Some of the passengers said they had bruises."

Mays told a FOX 13 reporter that he was returning from the filming of an Oxyclean commercial in Philadelphia, according to the station.

"All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping," he said. "It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."

Mays posted to his Twitter soon after the accident, "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."

A previous Tweet from Mays mentioned an upcoming hip replacement. "Monday is the big day," he wrote.

The Federal Aviation Authority has yet to provide a comment on the accident or Mays' death, said spokeswoman Laura Brown.

Mays was one of the stars of "Pitchmen," a Discovery Channel documentary series that focused on Mays' claim to fame: inventions and infomercials.

Mays' son, Billy, posted to his Twitter account this morning that his "dad didn't wake up this morning.. I'm sure you'll all hear about it. It hasn't yet hit me but it's about to."

"On my way to the house. He's gone," Tweeted Mays, who wrote that he lives in Clearwater. "I'm gonna be strong for him. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers everyone." An update that followed said he is now with family.

Hillsborough County property records show Mays owns another home in Odessa.

Drew Harwell can be reached at dharwell@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4170.

[Rico]

HOLY MOLY!!!  My kids love him!

[MSUFan]

Guy gets struck in the head. Thinks nothing of it and continues on his day. Day later winds up dead to his brain swelling and edema. Unfortunately, this happens every once in a while and it's a shame to happen to him.

[Rico]

Yep - very sad.  Head injuries should always be looked at.

[Jen]

Wow! This sort of thing happened to a nurse at ground zero on 911. She got struck in the head by a brick and kept helping people. She died the next day from head trauma. If you get bumped on the head, go to a doctor! So sad...I feel bad for his family. :(

[sheldor]

This was the same thing with Natasha Ricardson, right?

[Rico]

This was the same thing with Natasha Ricardson, right?

Not exactly.  I think she was actually checked out right away.  But not positive.

[billybob476]

This was the same thing with Natasha Ricardson, right?

Not exactly.  I think she was actually checked out right away.  But not positive.

I believe she was checked out by ski patrol and decided not to go to hospital for a follow up.