Soaps.com - MESSAGE BOARDS

This morning his wife found him dead in their Tampa home. An autopsy will be performed Monday. There was no sign of foul play. He was 50 years old.

He did all those infomercials like oxyclean. Whats going on out there? geez

Just read that he had a head injury from a hard plane landing in Tampa Int. Airport Saturday. Said that a tire blew out on the plane & some luggage came out of the top carriers & hit him in the head. He died in his sleep....

Makes me think it was a delayed head injury like what happened to Natasha Richardson....

www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/article1014018.ece

TV pitchman Billy Mays found dead in Tampa home

By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Jun 28, 2009 11:46 AM

TAMPA — Billy Mays, the TV pitchman whose trademark voice helped sell everything from cleaning supplies to baking soda, was found dead this morning by his wife at his Tampa home. No cause of death has been reported and no foul play is suspected, according to Tampa police.

Mays, 50, was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m. in his gated neighborhood near the Westshore Yacht Club, said Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy. He told his family he wasn't feeling well Saturday and went to sleep early at 10 p.m., McElroy said. His wife, Deborah Mays, found him unresponsive this morning.

"This is a very tragic case. Billy Mays was in the prime of his life, the prime of his career," McElroy said. "As you can imagine the family is devastated."

Mays is survived by his wife, a three-year-old daughter and a stepson in his 20s, McElroy said. The Medical Examiner's Office will complete Mays' autopsy by tomorrow afternoon.

"Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days," Deborah Mays said in a statement today. "Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times."

Mays was a passenger on Saturday of a 737 airplane that had a front tire blow out, said spokeswoman Brenda Geoghagan. Mays and other passengers were interviewed by US Airways staff after the hard landing. Responders reported no injuries.

"Tampa Fire (Rescue) reported no injuries. Nobody asked for treatment," Geoghagan said. "Some of the passengers said they had bruises."

Mays told a FOX 13 reporter that he was returning from the filming of an Oxyclean commercial in Philadelphia, according to the station.

"All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping," he said. "It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."

Mays posted to his Twitter soon after the accident, "Just had a close call landing in Tampa. The tires blew out upon landing. Stuck in the plane on the runway. You can always count on US Air."

Mays had no major medical problems, McElroy said, besides a hip replacement. A previous Tweet from Mays mentioned another upcoming hip replacement. "Monday is the big day," he wrote.

The Federal Aviation Authority has yet to provide a comment on the accident or Mays' death, said spokeswoman Laura Brown. US Airways spokesman Jim Olson said the company would not speculate before more information was made available.

"We're very sad about" Mays' passing, Olson said. "We obviously extend our thoughts and prayers to his family."

Mays was one of the stars of "Pitchmen," a Discovery Channel documentary series that focused on Mays' claim to fame: inventions and infomercials. Mays' booming voice and larger-than-life appearance, including a crisp blue dress shirt and finely trimmed beard, became his signature, which he used for humor at spots around Tampa Bay.

Mays' son, Billy, posted to his Twitter account this morning that his "dad didn't wake up this morning.. I'm sure you'll all hear about it. It hasn't yet hit me but it's about to."

"On my way to the house. He's gone," Tweeted Mays, who wrote that he lives in Clearwater. "I'm gonna be strong for him. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers everyone." An update that followed said he is now with family.

"I'm thankful I got to talk to my dad last night," he Tweeted. "I miss him immensely already. But I feel him with me."

Many of Mays' relatives were in town this weekend for his sister in law's wedding shower, McElroy said. Mays' mother had plans to fly into town today.

Hillsborough County property records show Mays owns another home in Odessa.

we were always amazed at his enthusiasm, another family grieving, sad

This is just awful! A man with so much vitality and a growing family. It does seem similar to what happened to Natasha Richardson. Apparently it doesn't always take a really noticeable traumatic bump on the head to cause fatal results. Didn't the same thing happen to Sonny Bono in another skiing accident? Obviously, everyone should take head injuries seriously - even if they seem minor.

Prayers out to the May's family....


...How very sad for that family! It must be a terribe shock to them.

Very sad! My thoughts and prayers go out to the family!!

what a week this has been, creepy

Autopsy reports just came in and said it was cardiac arrest that killed him. The bump on the head had nothing to do with it. This is getting so bad and is so sad. I am so sorry for his wife and kids.

www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/article1014168.ece

Medical examiner: Billy Mays had heart disease

By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Jun 29, 2009 12:50 PM

TAMPA — Preliminary autopsy results for TV pitchman Billy Mays suggest he died of heart disease, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner said today.

The autopsy done this morning reveals no evidence of head trauma or drug abuse, said Dr. Vernard Adams. There had been speculation that Mays might have been injured during a hard landing Saturday at Tampa International Airport.

The autopsy showed he had hardening of the arteries, Adams said. He was taking pain medication after two recent hip surgeries, but there is no evidence that contributed to his death, Adams said.

Adams said Mays had no knowledge of his heart disease and was taking no medication for it.

"By definition, sudden death can't be predicted," Adams said. "This was a total surprise."

Adams said 25 to 30 percent of deaths from heart disease are sudden.

A full autopsy should be completed within eight to 10 weeks.

Deborah Mays, Billy Mays' wife, issued this statement:

"Billy would be overwhelmed to see that his life touched so many people in a positive way. The support we have received during this difficult time has been tremendous. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers. While it provides some closure to learn that heart disease took Billy from us, it certainly doesn't ease the enormous void that his death has created in our lives. As you can imagine, we are all devastated. We are asking that you respect our privacy as I will not be conducting any media interviews in the near future."

Mays, famous for selling cleaning products on infomercials, didn't wake up Sunday morning and was pronounced dead about 7:45 a.m. No foul play is suspected, police said.

Mays, 50, told his family he didn't feel good Saturday and went to sleep early, about 10 p.m., police said. He had just returned from a trip to Philadelphia to shoot an OxiClean commercial and was on the plane that had a hard landing at Tampa International Airport when a tire blew out.

Mays told WTVT-Ch.13 Saturday that something hit his head during the landing, but no injuries were reported to airport officials.