William Darrell "Billy" Mays, Jr. was an American television direct-response advertisement salesperson
most notable for promoting OxiClean, Orange Glo, Kaboom, and other cleaning, home-based,
and maintenance products on the Home Shopping Network, and through his company, Mays Promotions,
Inc. He and his business partner, Anthony Sullivan,
were also featured on PitchMen, a TV series that documented their work. His distinctive
beard and impassioned sales pitches made him a recognized television presence in the United
States and Canada.
Family and personal biography Mays was born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His first marriage was to Dolores "Dee Dee" Mays,
which ended in divorce. He had a son with Dolores named Billy Mays III, who was 22 years
old at the time of Mays' death and who worked as a production assistant alongside his father
on the PitchMen television show. Mays had a daughter, Elizabeth, with his second wife,
Deborah Mays. His daughter was three years old at the time of his death. Mays's mother
is Joyce Palm, and his father is Billy Mays, Sr.; they both outlived him. In an interview
during the 2008 presidential campaign, Mays revealed himself to be a Republican.
Career Education and career beginnings
Mays was a student at Sto-Rox High School, and later West Virginia University, where
he was a walk-on linebacker on its football team during his two years there. After dropping
out, he worked for his father's hazardous waste company before moving to Atlantic City,
New Jersey in 1983. On the Atlantic City boardwalk Mays sold the Washmatik portable washing device
to passersby, along with other "As Seen on TV" products. In Atlantic City, he was taught
how to sell by the older salesmen, saying "I was taught to pitch by a lot of old pitchmen.
That's the kind of style I have." Mays then traveled to home shows, auto shows,
and state fairs across the United States for a period of twelve years, selling various
maintenance products and tools, including cleaning products and food choppers.
Television pitching At a Pittsburgh home show in 1993, Mays struck
up a friendship with rival salesman Max Appel, founder of Orange Glo International, a Denver-based
manufacturer of cleaning products. He was then hired by the company to promote their
line of cleaners, OxiClean, Orange Clean, Orange Glo, and Kaboom, on the Home Shopping
Network in St. Petersburg, Florida. That same year, also befriended another future pitchman,
Anthony Sullivan. Customer response to Mays's sales pitches was enthusiastic, with a sharp
increase in sales after his first day on the network, although some reviews were poor.
He was very well known for shouting in an abrasive manner during infomercials. For example,
Washington Post staff writer Frank Ahrens called him and other similar television salesmen
"a full-volume pitchman, amped up like a candidate for a tranquilizer-gun takedown".
Although this was his debut appearance to the public, some consider his appearance in
October 2000 to be his first commercial, shooting for the then 3 year-old OxiClean corporation.
He would be a staple on the group, as well as the more common company at the time, OrangeGlo.
Later on he would appear in Kaboom infomercials. During this period, Billy Mays became a popular
icon for his loud pitch, and at times, was treated as a celebrity due to his popularity
even though he never appeared in any movies or TV shows as other actors do.
Mays was the CEO and founder of Mays Promotions, Inc., based at his home in Odessa, Florida.
His services as a pitchman became highly sought-after, and he appeared in commercials for many diverse
"as seen on TV" products such as Mighty Putty. Mays claimed to be an avid user of the products
he promoted. In December 2008, Mays began appearing in
ads for ESPN's online service, ESPN360. These ads were a slight departure for Mays as they
were designed to be parodies of his and other infomercial cliches with Mays appearing to
be doing a parody of himself. He also made a live appearance during the 2008 Champs Sports
Bowl promoting ESPN's and ABC's January 1, 2009, bowl games. Prior to his death, Mays
had signed a deal with Taco Bell to film infomercial-style commercials for the chain. Shooting was scheduled
to begin in August 2009. Other television appearances
On April 15, 2009, the Discovery Channel began airing PitchMen, a documentary series that
featured Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their jobs in direct-response marketing. After Mays's
death, Discovery Channel aired a special Billy Mays tribute episode of PitchMen called "Pitchman:
A Tribute to Billy Mays". On March 27, 2009, Mays appeared on The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno. He and Sullivan also appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on
June 23, 2009. Notable products pitched
Death Mays was found unresponsive by his wife in
his Tampa, Florida, home on the morning of June 28, 2009. He was pronounced dead at 7:45 am,
appearing to have died sometime overnight. The Associated Press reported that there were
no indications that the house had been broken into, and that police did not suspect foul
play. Initially, there was incorrect speculation that he had died of a head injury after he
was struck on the head by luggage after an airline landing mishap where tires blew out.
After an initial autopsy on Mays's body on June 29, Vernard Adams, the Hillsborough County,
Florida medical examiner, stated that Mays suffered from hypertensive heart disease and
that heart disease was the likely cause of his death. According to a toxicology report
released August 7, 2009, heart disease was the "primary cause of death" and cocaine was
listed as a "contributory cause of death." In response to the release of the toxicology
report, the Mays family issued a press release stating, "We are extremely disappointed by
the press release released by the Hillsborough County medical examiner's office. We believe
it contains speculative conclusions that are frankly unnecessary and tend to obscure the
conclusion that Billy suffered from chronic, untreated hypertension..." and said in the
release that they were considering "an independent evaluation of the autopsy results".
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's 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.
However, in October 2009, the results of a second medical examination, commissioned by
Mays' family, concluded that "cocaine was not a significant contributing factor" to
his death. Longtime friend and colleague A.J. Khubani,
founder and CEO of the "As Seen on TV" product company Telebrands, said Mays never exhibited
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."
According to subsequent news reports the toxicology tests also showed levels 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's funeral was held on July 3, 2009, in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.
The pallbearers for the funeral wore blue shirts and khaki pants at the funeral, much
like Mays wore when he advertised his products. In popular culture
Due to his famous catchphrase and infomercials Billy Mays is a notable icon in popular culture,
with many shows and films lampoon him. In the South Park episode "Dead Celebrities",
Mays's ghost appears repeatedly to Ike Broflovski, trying to sell him products from the afterlife
with his catchphrase "Hi, Billy Mays here with the...". Mays's son, Billy Mays III,
a self-proclaimed South Park fan, said he loved "Dead Celebrities", and found its portrayal
of his father to be both tasteful and respectful. Mays was parodied in the Disney Channel series
So Random, as a sales pitchman who annoys two children in a sketch, making them have
spoiled lunch for school. Mays was pitted against Benjamin Franklin
in an episode of the YouTube series Epic Rap Battles of History. He suddenly dies in the
middle of the rap, leaving Vince Offer to finish it.
Mays was parodied as Willy Wizard advertising products for a company called "Flunco" on
a Season 3 episode of Mad. References
External links
Billy Mays at the Internet Movie Database Billy Mays on Twitter