Billy Mays has Died – Dead at 50 June 28, 2009
Billy Mays has left us. Found dead in his Tampa Bay home by his wife, Billy Mays was only 50. His last Twitter update was roughly 24 hours ago. Nobody saw it coming.
The memorable TV pimp for all things useful, Mays spread the love of everything from OxyClean to Mighty Putty and the twist-n’-pop magic of the Ding King. Billy Mays talked in ALLCAPS IRL – and whether or not you loved him for it or hated him for it, you gotta admit, he was good at what he did.
My condolences and support go out to the friends and family of Billy Mays. Although many may write him off as being yet another sleazy TV pitchman, this guy was able to move product like no other (OxyClean is now available in stores!) and his method of delivery – loud, enthusiastic and direct – was something that I tried to emulate and incorporate into my own presentations in college.
Here’s a clip (audio only) of Billy Mays calling out Vince Offer (“the ShamWOW Guy”), challenging him to a pitch-off:
With the recent loss of Dom DeLuise, David Carradine, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed Mcmahon, I can’t help but wonder what the hell is going on.
You can find more coverage of Billy Mays’ death through Google News. CNN Money was one of the first major news sources to report it.
Posted in Reblog