By Stepshane Gaskell
DAILY NEWS
June 29, 2009

 

Beloved TV pitchman Billy Mays most likely died of heart failure, not from being hit on the head during a rough landing on a US Airways flight, the medical examiner in Tampa said.

The autopsy done this morning reveals no evidence of head trauma or drug abuse, said Medical Examiner Vern Adams. A full autopsy will be completed within eight to 10 weeks.

Mays, 50, was found dead Sunday at his Tampa home. The brash but buoyant salesman became a pop culture icon for pushing household products like OxiClean and OrangeGlo.

The pitchman’s death came just hours after he got hit on the head during a rough landing on a flight from Philadelphia, leading to speculation that the bump killed him.

But the autopsy showed he had hardening of the arteries. He was taking pain medication after having two hip replacement surgeries, but those pills did not contribute to his death, Adams said.

Mays had posted a message on Twitter about the flight and gave an interview to a local TV station after landing at Tampa International Airport.

“All of a sudden as we hit, you know, it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping,” Mays said. “It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head.”

Mays had told his wife that he didn’t feel well on Saturday night and went to bed around 10 p.m.

Newly released 911 tapes reveal that a frantic woman telling operators that she found Mays “cold and unresponsive.”

The caller, who isn’t identified, said his lips were purple and he was cold to the touch and not breathing.

A second person then gets on the phone and tells the operator that Mays is dead.

Fans flooded May’s Facebook page with thousands messages of condolences and urged people to wear his trademark light blue on Monday to honor his life.

His 22-year-old son, Billy, posted a message on Twitter about losing his father.

“This feels like one of those times when I would call my dad and say ‘What should I do?’” he wrote. “He’s still answering but now it’s from within.”

Mays’ wife, Deborah, released a statement saying, “Although Billy lived a public life, we don’t anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times.”

Mays, who was born in McKees Rocks, Pa., got his start peddling products on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and never stopped hustling.

“I compare myself to a big-league slugger, a quarterback, the doctor who delivers the baby,” he told the Daily News during a
recent visit. “I’m not an inventor, but I’ll take your product to the next level.”

Source: NY Daily News

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