'Infomercial King' Billy Mays Dies at 50
Television pitchman Billy Mays — who built his fame by appearing on commercials and infomercials promoting household products and gadgets — died Sunday.
Mays, 50, was found unresponsive by his wife inside his Tampa, Fla., home at 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Tampa Police Department.
Police said there were no signs of forced entry to Mays' residence and foul play is not suspected. Authorities said an autopsy should be complete by Monday afternoon.
"He was taking Xanax to keep him calm and pain medication but he was terribly frightened and anxious about the upcoming surgery," said a source close to Mays.
Mays' surgery was scheduled for Monday (June 29). He flew to his home in Odessa, Fl, Saturday (June 27) from Philadelphia where he had shot yet another of his famous TV sales ads.
The flight on U.S. Air wasn't pleasant. The plane blew two front tires on landing in Tampa and skidded to a halt. Mays was one of several
passengers struck in the head by items that fell from overhang units.
"It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head," Mays told a local TV station before returning home.
His wife, Deborah, found him dead when she awakened this morning.
Mays underwent hip replacement surgery last year but the recovery did not go smoothly. He had surgery again in January but wasn't healing correctly.
Saturday, Mays wrote on his Twitter website, "Getting ready to fly back to Tampa from Philly. Monday is the big day (hip replacement no. 3) Keep you posted."
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