Billy Mays Adds To Celebrity Tragedy
Billy Mays, the spirited, high-energy ‘pitch man’ from such pop-culture products as OxiClean and OrangeGlo, was found dead in his Tampa home Sunday morning, adding another notch to the list of tragic, high profile deaths. Mays was the 21st century carnival barker, literally yelling and working himself into a frenzy over every product he sold (small wonder he died of a heart attack). His credibility and celebrity status outshone every other TV pitchman and led to his own reality show with partner Andrew Sullivan, “Pitchmen”, which aired on Discovery Channel. Will infomercials ever be as convincing again?
I still miss Billy Mays! I saw an infomercial last night for Sham Wow! and reminded me how sad it is.