I can't believe it!
Geeeeez, what in the heck is going on?? I know he wasn't a big star, but I saw him on Leno and he seemed like areally nice man.
DEVELOPING: Television pitchman Billy Mays — who built his fame by appearing on commercials and infomercials promoting household products and gadgets — died Sunday.
Mays, 50, was found unresponsive by his wife inside his Tampa, Fla., home at 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Tampa Police Department.
Police said there were no signs of forced entry to Mays' residence and foul play is not suspected. Authorities said an autopsy should be complete by Monday afternoon.
Billy Mays Dead
I was just about to post this - what is going on?
Billy Mays, known for hawking cleaning products, found dead at Florida home
26 minutes ago
By The Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. - Billy Mays, the television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, has died. He was 50.
Authorities said Mays was pronounced dead Sunday morning after being found by his wife at home. There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play. The coroner's office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon.
Mays' wife, Deborah Mays, says the family doesn't expect to make any public statements and asked for privacy.
Mays was also featured on the reality TV show "Pitchmen" on the Discovery Channel, which followed Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs.
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 fulfil their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend."
You know, ages 50-60 is a strange age when it comes to health issues. I know so many people that were diagnosed with cancer in their 50's.
DH had 2 heart attacks in his 50s (first at 51, second at 53 which resulted in quadruple bypass surgery). My mom was diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma when she was 55.
and so on......
I read somewhere it had something to do with an airplane. A bad landing and a bump to the head? Kinda like that Natasha Richardson lady.
Lindsay Wrote:I read somewhere it had something to do with an airplane. A bad landing and a bump to the head? Kinda like that Natasha Richardson lady.
Yes, he was on a commercial plane that had a very hard landing at the Tampa airport yesterday and his head was struck by stuff falling from the top bins on the plane, according to a report I read. He said he was fine and went home, then he went to bed not feeling well and never woke up. I mean, fuck, how do you know when you need to go to the ER every time you bump your head?
News sources are saying that he died from a heart attack. Damn. Now's not a good time to be 50! Even though I had to turn the volume down several notches whenever he came on the tv, I'm gonna miss the guy. RIP, Billy!
Anastasia - It is scary how head injuries work. The only time I went to the ER after hitting my head was after I fell and slammed it into a door, and the only reason I went was because I just had brain surgery a few weeks ago and was afraid that I messed something up while it was healing. Had it not been for that, I never would have gone. LOL, I also hit it getting into the car when I was released from the hospital (like, the one where I had the surgery, not the ER). XD
My parents are in their mid-50s, and stuff like this really worries me.
beachbum Wrote:You know, ages 50-60 is a strange age when it comes to health issues.
That's the age I'm in now. Someone told me recently that it's not at 40 that life changes, it's 50. I thinks she's right. When I turned 50 I noticed that I don't feel the same the way I used to.
I have been in perfect health, even up to now. But some things have gone wrong with me. I had panic attacks last year and there were times when I was feeling like I was having a heart attack. Some pains went with it along with fatigue.
Recently, I was diagnosed with
depression. It's not as bad as having panic attacks, but I went through some aches and pains and fatigue with it. I had depression because of my feelings of accomplishment(s) and what's ahead for me in old age.
Billy Mays and the other famous guy, Terry Sullivan (I think it's Terry?) -- the Australian dude -- they have a show together called "Pitchmen". It's actually interesting to see how they go about selecting the products they pitch. And what they consider a hit, or a failure. BM seemed quite controlling on the set -- very egotistical about his signature look, etc -- but otherwise seemed like a very nice guy. If they still run the shows after this, take a look -- very interesting the way they (not just those two, but the huge Telebrands corporation they belong to) think about what we will buy.
I think the 50s are the new 40s. You can still keep up, but the maintenance is constant. Guess how I know!
eslbee Wrote:I think the 50s are the new 40s. You can still keep up, but the maintenance is constant. Guess how I know!
Except for many people who have kids. I've seen people age by at least 10 years soon after having kids.
Oh, my gosh, yes! You either have kids, or you are one. I are one.
50s are deadly. If you make it through your fifties, you usually can make it to 70 or more.
I had two friends die in their fifties a few years ago. It was awful. It's way way way too young.