Pitchman Billy Mays Had Enlarged Heart

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Popular product pusher Billy Mays had an enlarged heart and likely died over the weekend of a pulmonary embolism, or blocked artery, a medical examiner told reporters on Monday. There was no sign of head trauma. He was 50.

Dr. Vernard Adams told reporters that Mays' heart weighed 500 grams, or about 17.6 ounces. A typical male heart weighs about 10-12 ounces. The "heart disease that was found was certainly capable of causing the sudden death that he experienced."

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Chris O'Meara, AP

Billy's Pitchiest: From Quick Chop to Mighty Mend It

There was no indication of drug abuse, prescription or otherwise. Further test need to be made and the official ruling of cause of death won't be available for several weeks, Adams said.

Mays told his wife, Deborah, he didn't feel well when he went to bed Saturday night. In the morning she found the booming-voiced OxiClean pitchman unconscious. Earlier in the day, he said he was hit on the head when the airplane he was riding in had a rough landing at Tampa Bay's airport.

However, doctors found no evidence of head trauma during the autopsy.

The airline, U.S. Airways, said no passengers reported any serious injuries, and Mays himself cheerfully recounted the landing for a local TV station. The bumpy landing occurred because the plane blew its front tires.

Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said linking Mays' death to the landing would "purely be speculation." She said Mays' family members didn't report any health issues with the pitchman, but said he was due to have hip replacement surgery in coming weeks.

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"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," Deborah Mays says in a statement.

Police do not suspect any foul play. TMZ's Following Breaking Developments >>>

Born William Mays in McKees Rocks, Pa., on July 20, 1958, Mays developed his style demonstrating knives, mops and other "As Seen on TV" gadgets on Atlantic City's boardwalk. For years he worked as a hired gun on the state fair and home show circuits, attracting crowds with his booming voice and genial manner.

AJ Khubani, founder and CEO of "As Seen on TV," said he first met Mays in the early 1990s when Mays was still pitching one of his early products, the Shammy absorbent cloth, at a trade fair. He said he most recently worked with Mays on the reality TV show 'Pitchmen' on the Discovery Channel, which follows Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs.

2009-06-28 12:33:49

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