Billy Mays died at age 50 on June 28, 2009.
This page is dedicated to the greatest pitchman who ever pitched a product. Rest in peace, Mr. Billy Mays.
News report from BayNews9.com.
Video from CNN. Speculation that a head injury may be involved. Billy was on a US Airways flight Saturday that blew a tire on landing, causing a hard jolt that caused items to fall from the overhead bins. It has been reported that a piece of luggage struck Mr. Mays in the head, but it is unknown if this incident was related to his death. An autopsy is to be performed on Monday that should determine the cause of death. We’ll post more information as it becomes available.
“Hi, Billy Mays here!” For years, that was the opening line for scores of commercials featuring this master pitchman. Mainly associated with products used around the home, his commercial gigs included health insurance and even snowboards. Although some found his maximum-volume voice annoying, his old-school pitchman technique put millions in his pocket and a Bentley in his garage.
1. What Odor?
Home: Cleaning
As featured on Discovery Channel TV show Pitchmen What Odor?® is endorsed by Billy Mays. How much money have (more
2. Flies Away
Home: Pest Control
Billy Mays presents Flies-Away, the fastest, easiest, greenest and most effective way to make flies go away for good. (more)
Billy Mays presents Flies-Away, the fastest, easiest, greenest and most effective way to make flies go away for good. Flies-Away goes to work in minutes, inviting thousands of flies in, but they can’t get out. The secret is the lobster trap design and the non-toxic biodegradable bait that flies can’t resist. Flies-Away is safe for you, your family and your pets, and gets all the flies, all the time. Used by farmers, equestrians, even the U.S. Military. Each Flies-Away lasts for 30 days and trap and kills up to 20,000 flies. Take it from Billy Mays, Flies-Away makes your home a no-fly zone. (less)
3. Mighty Putty
Home: Hardware
Mighty Putty is the easy way to fix, fill and seal virtually anything. Now can you repair any job big or small, thanks (more)
Mighty Putty is the easy way to fix, fill and seal virtually anything. Now can you repair any job big or small, thanks to Mighty Putty. Mighty Putty is a super powered epoxy that you can mold to any shape and can apply to any surface for an everlasting bond. (less)
4. Awesome Auger
Home: Plants and Gardening
Now with a brand new commercial from Billy Mays. Take the hard work out of yard work. Awesome Auger makes (more)
Now with a brand new commercial from Billy Mays. Take the hard work out of yard work. Awesome Auger makes yard work easy. Plant trees, shrubs and bushes. Dig post holes. Penetrate any soil. Blast through hard rock or clay. Cut through thick roots. Easily power out rocks and remove stubborn stumps. Save time money and backaches. (less)
5. Green Now
Home: Plants and Gardening
Green Now is a permanent lawn and plant colorant that contains fertilizer to help promote natural growth. As featured (more)
Green Now is a permanent lawn and plant colorant that contains fertilizer to help promote natural growth. As featured on Discover Channel Pitchmen with Billy Mays. Use Green Now to instantly cover areas of discolored lawn and other plants. Discoloration may be caused by sprinkler coverage issues, seasonal weather patterns or disease. It may also be caused by a family pet that is adding their own brand of irrigation. Whatever the reason, Green Now is your fast and easy solution. Let Green Now instantly restore the natural beauty of your yard, while at the same time helping to promote natural growth. Green is a non-toxic, environmentally-friendly product that is safe for children and pets. (less)
6. Simoniz Fix It!
Auto: Scratches
Fix It! Scratch Remover is safe to use on any color car to quickly and easily repair scratches and nicks. Fix It! Home (more)
Fix It! Scratch Remover is safe to use on any color car to quickly and easily repair scratches and nicks. Fix It! Home Formula is great for your stovetop, refrigerator, and even silver and brass. The secret behind the magic of Fix It! is its fast action formula with millions of microscopic polishing agents, which penetrate the scratch and restore the paint of your car to its original shine. Just apply Fix It! to the scratch, use the Power Buffer to rub Fix It! deep into the surface of the scratch and then wipe it away. With Fix It!, the scratch has met its match! (less)
7. Grater Plater
Home: Kitchen
What would happen if you combined a cheese grater with a plate? You’d have a plate that grates – the Plater (more)
What would happen if you combined a cheese grater with a plate? You’d have a plate that grates – the Plater Grater. As featured on Discovery Channel Pitchmen with Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan. With the Plater Grater, grate cheese, garlic, ginger, right on the plate. Everything stays on the plate. The hardened, tempered ceramic design of the Grater Plater never dulls, and it’s triple glazed so nothing sticks. Pass it around the dinner table, and everyone can grate their own cheese. Add some olive oil and herbs to your grated cheese or garlic, and it becomes a dipping plate. Use the Grater Plater for baking, chocolate, cinnamon, even coconut. (less)
8. Tool Band-it
Home: Hardware
Endorsed by Billy Mays. Have you ever lost track of your tools or parts during a project? Tool Band-It is a rugged
9. Mighty Mendit
Home: Other
Mighty Mendit is the fast, easy way to mend, hem and wear it again. Take it from Billy Mays. Mighty Mendit is not a (more)
Mighty Mendit is the fast, easy way to mend, hem and wear it again. Take it from Billy Mays. Mighty Mendit is not a glue, but a flexible bonding agent that grabs, adheres and interlocks the fibers of virtually any fabric for a permanent repair. Mighty Mendit dries clear and is safe for most all fabrics. Mighty Mendit has a bond that stays strong even after 50 washes. (less)
10. Quick Chop
Home: Kitchen
Forget the Slap Chop. This is the original Quick Chop, endorsed by Pitchmen star Billy Mays.The Quick Chop
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William "Billy" D. Mays, Jr. (July 20, 1958 – June 28, 2009[2]) was a television direct-response advertisement salesperson most notable for promoting OxiClean, Orange Glo, and other cleaning, home-based, and maintenance products. His distinctive beard and loud sales pitches made him a recognizable television presence.[3]
Biography
Mays was born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Sto-Rox High School in 1977, he began his career as a salesman on the Atlantic City boardwalk, selling the Washmatik portable washing device to passersby. Working alongside other pitchmen, he developed his style of salesmanship.[4]
Mays later 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.[4]
Rise to prominence
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.[5]
Customer response to Mays' sales pitches were enthusiastic, with a sharp increase in sales after his first day on the network, although some reviews were poor. He is very well known for shouting in an abrasive manner during infomercials. For example, Washington Post staff writer Frank Ahrens called him "a full-volume pitchman, amped up like a candidate for a tranquilizer-gun takedown."[6]
Following the success of the Home Shopping Network campaign, a line of successful television commercials and infomercials for the products was produced, featuring Mays demonstrating the effectiveness of the products to viewers hands-on. He typically begins such commercials with: "Hi! Billy Mays here for [advertised product]." Their success led to OrangeGlo International being named among the top ten privately growing companies from 1999 to 2001 by Inc. magazine, and its eventual buyout by Church and Dwight. Appel credited Mays' brilliant salesmanship for much of the company's success.[citation needed]
Mays was the CEO and founder of Mays Promotions, Inc., based at his home in Odessa, Florida.[3] His services as a pitchman became highly sought-after, and he appeared in commercials for many diverse "as seen on TV" products. Mays claimed to be an avid user of the products he promotes.[7]
In December 2008, Mays began appearing in ads for ESPN's online service, ESPN360.[8] 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.
Mays resided in Florida in a $1.8 million home which was built in 2005.[9]
In February 2009, Mays publicly challenged Offer "Vince" Shlomi, also known as "Vince Offer" to a "pitch-off" between their respective products, the Zorbeez and the Shamwow. Popular Mechanics compared the absorbancy of two towel products and declared Shamwow the clear winner.[10]
On April 15, 2009, the Discovery Channel began airing Pitchmen, a documentary series that features Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their jobs in direct response marketing.[11] On the June 10, 2009 episode it was revealed that Mays' trademark blue shirt was the idea of fellow pitchman Sullivan before the OxiClean commercial shoot in 1999.
Mays and Sullivan appeared together on the June 23, 2009 episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.[12]
More recently, the commercials for his products have become a popular internet meme, and have spawned countless video remixes.[13]
Death
Mays was found unresponsive by his wife in his Tampa, Florida home on the morning of June 28, 2009. He was then pronounced dead at 7:45am, having died sometime in his sleep. [1][2][14] The Associated Press reported that there were no indications that the house had been broken into, and that police did not suspect foul play.[14]
Mays had been aboard US Airways Flight 1241 from Philadelphia to Tampa that blew out its front tires as it landed at Tampa International Airport on June 27, the day before his death. None of the 138 passengers and five crew members were reported to be seriously injured immediately following the incident, but several passengers reported having bumps and bruises from falling objects.[2] Mays told a local Tampa TV station that some of the objects "hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."[14] It is unclear whether Mays' death was related to the incident.
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Id rather have Billy then the shamwow guy 