Billy Mays

William Darrell "Billy" Mays, Jr. (July 20, 1958 – June 28, 2009)^[2] was an American television direct-response advertisement salesperson^{[broken anchor]} most well known for promoting OxiClean, Orange Glo, and other cleaning, home-based, and maintenance products.

Billy Mays
Mays at the Flatiron District in New York City on June 13, 2009
Born	William Darrell Mays Jr. (1958-07-20)July 20, 1958 McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	June 28, 2009(2009-06-28) (aged 50) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death	Heart disease
Resting place	Mount Calvary Cemetery
Other names	King of the Pitch
Occupation	Television direct-response advertisement salesman
Years active	1993–2009
Employer	Home Shopping Network
Notable work	See products pitched
Television	PitchMen
Board member of	Mays Promotions, Inc.
Spouse(s)	Dolores Mays (divorced)[1] Deborah Mays[1]
Children	2

His distinctive beard and loud sales pitches made him a recognized television presence in the United States and Canada. A universally loved figure wherever he aired he was the only thing that kept most people from turning the channel. Even after his death he is still a popular and prominent pop culture icon. More recently becoming a meme star.

He starred in his own TV show called Pitchmen with his friend and co-worker Anthony Sullivan. The show was on for one season before his sudden death.

Death

Mays died at age 50 on June 28, 2009 from complications of heart disease.^[3] This was likely from an overdose on Cocaine.^[2]