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  • The Late Billy Mays and His Perfect Pitch

    by Vera H-C Chan

    Jun 29, 2009

    42 Votes

    Garrulous and ever congenial, Billy Mays believed in what he preached. Or pitched. In a month of unexpected celebrity passings, the man who sincerely believed in his hype died reportedly of hypertensive heart disease on June 28.

    In a month of too many celebrity passings, people took a moment to honor the bearded infomercial hawker. Searches on Yahoo! were so massive on Sunday that his name "billy mays" bypassed even "michael jackson." (Cumulative queries for Jackson's music, biography, and so on, however, continue to overwhelm the Web). Mays' searchers wasn't just old couch potatoes. Everyone from teenagers to 50-somethings joined in.

    Media outlets also paid their respects. CNN called him "handsome in a Brawny Towel Guy sort of way" with a "sunshiny attitude." The Los Angeles Times reminisced about how he joined in video parodies of his infomercials with his own joke spots. AP repeated Mays' favorite story of giving away OxiClean as wedding favors.

    Unlike spammers or telemarketers, the former football player did more then get people to sit up and watch (and sometimes order). Mays specialized in solving the nagging aggravations and pet peeves modern society, and he managed to do that with the sheer force of his normal-guy charisma, volume turned up to maximum.

    Discovery Channel plans to honor him July 1 with a marathon of "Pitchmen," a reality series that started April 15. Mays would probably be pleased with another posthumous tribute: Along with searches into his biography, family, and beard, people also checked out his products.

    Below, the top 10—and please note, even though Shamwow lookups also saw an online surge, that's that other guy.

    Top 10 Billy May Product Plug Searches on Yahoo!, June 28

    1. OxiClean (stain remover)
    2. Kaboom (all-purpose cleaner)
    3. Orange Glo (wood cleaner)
    4. Impact Gel (shoe inserts)
    5. Mighty Putty (epoxy)
    6. Awesome Auger (garden digging tool)
    7. Big City Slider Station (hamburger press)
    8. What Odor? (deodorizer spray)
    9. Zorbeez (all-purpose cleaning cloth)
    10. Hercules Hooks (wall hanger)
    42 Votes
    » View all entries
Comments
(16)
A Viewer…

well it,s been one heck of a month for death, he sounds like a decent man..............

posted Jun 29, 2009 |
+2
Reply
poppa

He really seemed like a nice man.....a loss for the commerical world and his family.

posted Jun 29, 2009 |
+4
Reply
kurli

I just wanted to let the Family know that they are in our prayers and the loss of their Loved one will be missed by many.
Billy sure seemed to be a nice fellow.
Again, you are in our Thoughts & Prayers.

posted Jun 29, 2009 |
+4
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Jose

Billy will be missed.

posted Jun 29, 2009 |
+5
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Jo

Poor Billy. May God Bless him and his family. It's tough to loose a loved one so suddenly. My heart goes out to them. I do think that the info commercials should cease. I saw some today. It seems cold to me that the companies would continue to run them, especially right now.

posted Jun 29, 2009 |
+4
Reply
Baron

I am a bit saddened. You wouldn't think that one would be so touched by a commercial, but he was one in a million! He will be! God bless his family. I think running the commercials is a sort of memorial to him. Closure.

posted Jun 29, 2009 |
+4
Reply
bud young

Billy Mays was a guy i would want on my team

posted Jun 30, 2009 |
+3
Reply
Virginia R

It was so strange today watching television and never one time hearing that most infamous voice of his; Hi Billy Mays here..... Very sad loss for his family and friends. May he rest in peace, my prayers are with his family.

posted Jun 30, 2009 |
+1
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BryanF

First Micheal and now this.

posted Jun 30, 2009 |
+2
Reply
ArmHammer

The news just said he had heart disease. Wonder if he had hypertension too? He seemed rather high strung.
God bless the family.

posted Jun 30, 2009 |
0
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Bryan

He could have sold ice to eskimos.

posted Jun 30, 2009 |
+4
Reply
Michael

Its amazing how fast this happened. I mean he was on Conan like 3 nighte before.

posted Jun 30, 2009 |
+4
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Lou

You left us too early Billy.

posted Jun 30, 2009 |
+3
Reply
Jim

Shamwow!

I cant believ you're gone.

posted Jun 30, 2009 |
0
Reply
HarryBalls

Just on the cusp of TV stardom.

It seems to always happen that way.

posted Jun 30, 2009 |
-1
Reply
JadonP

Michael at 50 Billy at 50 who's next my dad next year at 50?

posted Jul 1, 2009 |
0
Reply
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