OT: Billy Mays dead at 50!

Infomercial pitchman Billy Mays died at his Tampa, Florida, home Sunday morning, authorities told CNN.

OxiClean pitchman Billy Mays died Sunday morning at his home in Tampa, authorities said.

The 50-year-old known for his shouting OxiClean ads was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m. The Hillborough County medical examiner will perform an autopsy, Tampa police Lt. Brian Dugan said.

Mays was on the US Airways flight from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Tampa on Saturday that had a hard landing at Tampa International Airport when the plane's front tire blew out. There were no reported injuries on Flight 1241, US Airways told CNN.

According to a local Tampa TV station, Mays said: "All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."

The bearded Mays was a spokesman for Orange Glo and detergent OxiClean and appeared in commercials for other products.

He is featured on the reality TV show ''Pitchmen'' on the Discovery Channel, which follows pitch people in their jobs.

"It is with incredible sadness that we have to report that Billy Mays died in his sleep last night," said a statement from the Discovery Channel. "Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth. Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family at this time of incredible loss."

WOW, it really makes me think....he was 50 (4 years younger than me).  I sometimes think I'm not old enough for something like this to happen and I hope it doesn't but you just never know when.  Is that show still running?

He had a brand new show...a best pitchman thing???  Sad, but when your number is called...it's your turn.  Hopefully he had a good evening with his family last night.  Head injuries are not something to mess with.  I'm betting he had some kind of a headache last night before bedtime.....

wow, I didn't even think it would have been due to his head being hit on the plane.  That's super sad.  Seems there was a story not long ago about someone else that got hit on the head and thought nothing of it and died.  Maybe that was Liam Neeson's wife?

I don't think things falling out of the overhead is as uncommon as one might think! Maybe eliminate them and have more head room for tall people and the only carryons allowed fit under the seat. Who needs that much stuff for a 2 hour flight. Baggage claim really doesn't take THAT long.!!
Meggie

  There was also that teenage high school student right here in the DFW area awhile back, Yvonne ..  She had fallen in the hallway at school, IIRC ..   Nobody made much of it at the time, and she just went home, but a few hours later at her home she was complaining of a headache and then suddenly died ..        They said she suffered a concussion with bleeding into her brain as a result of the fall ..       That's a good example of why it is SO important to take every head injury seirously and get checked out by a doctor, a.s.a.p.  

Funny how they mention the hard landing, him telling about something falling and hitting his head, yet the airlines say there were no injuries. But no where do they tie it together and actually blame his death on the airline. I smell a HUGE lawsuit in the making!

Whatever....it's sad for anyone to go at that age.

 Can you say "Type A Personality"???    I can't think of a better example than "hyperactive" him on his pitches ..   He also had noticeable bellyfat, which they say greatly increases the chances of heart disease ..   With that combination I bet an autopsy will show he died of a sudden h.a.