Billy Mays' Autopsy Shows Cocaine

By PopEater Staff Posted Aug 7th 2009 04:45PM

Pitchman Billy Mays died of a heart attack in his sleep in June. His autopsy now shows that cocaine contributed to the death of the TV personality, the Associated Press reports. A release from the medical examiner's office Friday said Mays had last used the drug days before his death.

Other narcotics were found in May's system, though the St. Petersburg Times reports that Mays was taking hydrocodone, oxycodone and tramadol by prescription for hip pain. The report said that although Mays died from heart disease, cocaine use was a contributing cause of death.

"Cocaine can raise the arterial blood pressure, directly cause thickening of the wall of the left ventricle of the heart, and accelerate the formation of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries," the Hillsborough County medical examiner's press release stated.

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Recent Losses in TV Land

Billy Mays, June 28: The TV pitchman died of a heart attack, though an autopsy report showed that cocaine use played a part in Mays' death.

Chris O'Meara, AP

Recent Losses in TV

Harry Towb, July 24: The Irish actor died of cancer in his London home at the age of 83, after more than 60 years on the stage and screen.

WENN

Alexis Cohen, July 25: The ex-'American Idol' hopeful, whose famous rejection meltdown made her a viral sensation in early 2008, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in New Jersey. Viewers better know Cohen as Glitter Girl, for her sparkly makeup. The aspiring singer and comedienne was 25.

AP Photo/FOX, Michael Becker, File

Les Lye, July 21: You know him as the foil to all those silly kids on 'You Can't Do That on Television' during the show's heyday. Lye died at age 84. Watch him in his numerous characters here.

YouTube

Gidget, July 21: The Chihuahua who became synonymous with Taco Bell thanks to their 'Yo Quiero Taco Bell' ad campaign died at the age of 15.

Taco Bell / AP

Billy Mays, June 28: The TV pitchman died of a heart attack, though an autopsy report showed that cocaine use played a part in Mays' death.

Chris O'Meara, AP

Gale Storm, June 27: Storm, who's best known for her roles in 'My Little Margie' and 'The Gale Storm Show' in the 1950s, died at the age of 87.

Fred Travalena, June 28: The comedian, who made a career out of impersonating celebrities and appearing on Johnny Carson's 'Tonight Show,' succumbed to cancer at the age of 66.

David Livingston, Getty Images

Farrah Fawcett, June 25: Fawcett died at 62 following a long and brave battle with cancer. The 'Charlie's Angels' star was one of the biggest sex symbols of the '70s and had won acclaim for turning to more serious roles in the 1980s.

Everett Collection

Johnny Palermo, June 8: The busy young actor, who played Chris' overgrown classmate on 'Everybody Hates Chris' and small roles on 30 other TV shows, died alongside his girlfriend in a car crash in Hollywood. He was 27.

Barry King, WireImage

Frank Aletter, May 13: He's a familiar face to anyone who watched the tube in the 1960s and 1970s -- he starred in several situation comedies and made stops on 'Kojak,' 'MASH,' 'All in the Family,' among others. Aletter died after battling cancer. He was 83

Everett Collection

Tags: billy mays, billy mays autopsy, BillyMays, BillyMaysAutopsy

Comments

(313)

Friday 07 August

By Rodd

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sorry he passed away but now I see how he was always 'hyper' when he did his commercials.

By rferrara

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lol. sorry for what?

By Jeff

Yep, makes sense to me also. This guy always looked wired. Funny how you can tell. I'm type A but this guy was way over make me that. He used to make me fidgit in my seat just watching him.

Sunday 09 August

By Mark

Tramadol, Oxycodone and Hydrocodone for hip pain?
Yea right. All of these drugs are way over prescribed by doctors for their rich patients to get that all to infamous uforic high.
Coke just topped it off and obviously brought him to his knees

By mike

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this guy selling his usless plastic crap products

Saturday 08 August

By pnut166

Friday 07 August
By Outlaw
Lowest Rank Vote downVote up

Piss on you all if you knew anything about drugs ... all of the drugs he was taking for his hip will all show up as cocaine and i know that from experience>>>>You are an idiot. You do not "know that from experience". Complete bullshlt. However, I will agree that everyone needs to lay off of Billy.

By sherri007

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Actually, Outlaw, the other drugs he was taking for pain are opiates and wouldn't "show up" as cocaine. When someones tests screen positive for a drug it goes on for a confirmation test for that specific drug. It will either then test positive or negative for that drug. So, it's not going to to confirm positive for cocaine if it is an opiate. Just a little toxicology lesson for you. :O)

By MJR

IT WAS THE MAGIC JACK they should charged 18.95 instead of 19.95

By Debra

There was no need for this to be released to the public and tarnish his image. Besides the cocaine, that I am so sorry he was using, Billy was in TERRIBLE PAIN all of the time.

If you have never experienced that kind of pain, you have been lucky. For when you do, you will take whatever you can to be able to work, play, and just live.

Just because Billy was on Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, etc., it probably was not enough to lessen the pain. I LIVE with pain DAY IN AND DAY OUT without much relief. I take what he did, except cocaine, but it is in such small dosages that it does little to help.

Walk a mile in a cancer victim shoes. Walk a mile in the shoes of someone with bulging discs in their backs which cannot be operated on. Walk a mile in the shoes of the ones that suffer endlessly and forever and forever.

Then tell everyone you are a drug addict.

God Bless Billy Mays and his loved ones. I, for one, am so sorry this came out because this was PERSONAL.

By Sierra

Well, now we know where the booming voice and all his "vitality" came from. Sad.

By judy

When are they going to take those godforsaken LOUD commercials off the air? I am sure that Billy was a wonderful man but all I could think when he died is that I wouldn't have to listen to those awful commercials anymore.

By Steven

Does someone chain you to your couch and take your remote control away and force you to watch Billy Mays? That is some serious S&M you are into.

By MacDaddy

Hearts dont handle coke well after 40.yawn !

By Dedee

Sounds like you know from experience, huh?

By rstaiconsulting

Just another successful and rich person abusing drugs "BECAUSE" he thought he couldn't die from "Cocaine, running all around his brain."

By audrey

Well surprise surprise. Might have known he was on something, all that hyperness and non stop yelling. What a shame another celebrity bites the dust from drugs, When will they ever learn?

By oneoftheguys

I always found his commercials trying and loud and a little more then I could stand and would often turn them off...but they did catch my attention and I did buy the product he was pitching...so...bad judgement and the abuse of drugs lead to his early death...how many are doing the same knowing this will happen to them...RIP my man...

By outsidewavelength

Your comment was one of the only ones that said it the way it should be said.He was a great pitchman his personal life may be like one of anyones.And you know that he will be trying to sell some good polisher to St.Peter for the heavenly gates!His name is now infamous and there will never be a better pitchman.

By skid41

AND THEY NEEDED AN AUTOPSY TO FIND THAT OUT - JUST LISTEN TO HIS INFOMERCIALS. HE WOULD SELL RAT SNOT BUT WITH A PASSION INDUCED BY ANYTHING FROM CLEANING FLUID TO TOASTED MUSHROOMS.