RSS
Home
Billy Mays found dead, leaves a legacy of clean homes
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
.jpg)
AP Photo
Infomercial king Billy Mays was found dead in his home early Sunday morning, according to police. The man famous for hawking cleaning products OxiClean and Orange Glo was found by his wife. He was 50 years old.
"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. "Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times."
His spirited TV spots made Mays a pseudocelebrity, with coined catchphrases like, "It will make your whites whiter and your brights brighter!" spawning spoofs, making OxiClean and Orange Glo household names, and leading a surge of TV pitchmen promoting their products in powercharged short informercials. ShamWow guy? Totally his fault.
His face and booming baritone were instantly recognizable, and whether it caused a Pavlovian reflexed channel change or got you to pick up the phone, it is undeniable that he was great at what he did--he could peddle the hell out of a product.
"With every product you see me on TV with, I've turned down 100, 150 more," Mays told the Daily News about a month ago. "I've been on TV for 11 years, and all I have is my good name. I compare myself to a big-league slugger, a quarterback, the doctor who delivers the baby. I'm not an inventor, but I'll take your product to the next level."
Watch Mays in all his OxiClean glory in a clip embedded below. And while you're scrubbing your kitchen counter or doing a load of whites today, think of TV's most spirited pitchman.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
