RIP Billy Mays: The Infomercial King

As a kid, Billy Mays was born in Pennsylvania and attended Sto-Rox High School. After being raised in Pittsburgh, he went West Virginia University and later dropped out and worked for his father’s hazardous waste company. His career started when he started selling portable washing devices and “As Seen On TV” products on the Atlantic City boardwalk. He learned how to sell by being taught by older sales men saying, “I was taught how to pitch by older pitchmen”. Mays then traveled to state fairs, home shows and auto shows for 12 years across the US selling many kinds of power tools, cleaners and kitchen tools. During a home show in Pittsburgh, he made a friendship with his rival salesman, Max Appel who was the founder Orange Glo International. Luckily for him, he was hired by them to promote their line of cleaning products, Kaboom, Oxi-Clean, Orange Clean and Orange Glo.

On the first day of his airing, sales sky-rocketed and customers were enthusiastic about his abrasive manner. Mays then made his own company of which he was a CEO and founder of, Mays Promotions, Inc. His services were highly sought by entrepreneurs everywhere. His death was completely unexpected. Mays was found not responding by his wife Deborah in his Tampa, Florida home in the dawn of June 28, 2009. He was then announced dead at 7:45 am, seeming to have died sometime overnight. The Police believed that there was no “foul play” such as murder or a break in. The initial autopsy showed that Mays suffered from hypertensive heart disease which was the likely cause of his death. The final determination would not be made until tissue and toxicology test results came back.

My Opinion: I think that Billy Mays was a good guy. I believe that he could get annoying sometimes on those loud commercials saying, “BILLIE MAYS HERE” but when you think about it, hes just doing his job. I feel that his death should be announced more so people can mourn his loss though it is understandable because he, to most people is a mere shadow compared to the death of Michael Jackson.

R.I.P. Billy Mays

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