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

(311)

Friday 07 August

By dd

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I wish we had Obama care plan. We could have saved his life.

By Duke

It doesn't surprise me at all Billy Mays used nose candy. He was wired to the hilt all the time. He was a heart attack waiting to happen. People that are wound up like Billy was are more apt to get a heart attack. Our society rewards the over the top characters like Billy. The active, never rest, always on the go, type people get the laurals. Also they die young from their constant hyper overdrive goings on.

By Nanny

Why isn't this news on the front page and on all the national news stations the way Michael Jackson's was? Looks like double standards to me.

By dave

The reason Michael Jackson got the level of coverage he did was because he had an amazing career that spanned over 40 years, was controversial and eccentric, and was the self-proclaimed the King of Pop.

Billy Mays just yelled a lot. Make sense? Race had NOTHING to do with the difference here. Talent and interest did.

By John R. wathen

What EMPTY LIVES these STARS lead-they kill themselves life flies on a windowpane and for WHAT a few minutes of Dopamine induced "Pleasure " !?!
In South America(the home of cocaine) it's considered very " LOW CLASS " to uses the pure stuff -down there they smoke the leaves,drink the tea or mix the leaves with marijuana.It gives them a nice little " buzz " but it does not turn them into raging " COKE/CRACK HEADS "...Billy was a very wealthy man and what did he throw it away for-but several lines of COKE !!! What a waste of Great Talent !!!

By Impossible

The cocain was not the cause of his death. He had a heart condition,
that is what killed him. If the cocain killed him, it would of done
it in the first hour of him snorting a line. If you are still alive
after the cocain buzz wears off, you are not going to die. This is
just Public Relations BS to tell everyone how bad cocain is.
Fact is millions of people every day in every neighborhood in every
industrialized country use cocain. Very few people die of cocain
overdoses, and most of the time its because of what its cut with, not
the cocain itself. Is cocain bad, yes, having done it for a couple
years i don't recommend it to anyone... But lets atleast stop playing
the "rhetoric game."

Saturday 08 August

By jennifer

Cocaine causes a temporary rise in blood pressure, which gradually thickens the walls of the heart. In turn, this can cause a heart attack just like high blood pressure from other causes can.
Who'd a thunk it?

By Clarissa

He obviously wasn't a coke ADDICT because he hadn't done coke for about 3 days. If you've ever tried coke, you know that it is a powerful, addictive drug that must be taken often...and if you're addicted to it, you do it every day, especially if you have money for that sort of thing. So, i don't think he died because of the coke. i think he had some kind of pre-existing heart condition. No expert here. Just saying...

By Raejean

Probably forced to abuse drugs and then murdered by the same conspiratorial doctors who bumped off Michael Jackson! :P

By Craig

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Good one Jacelynn. Funny though. No racist comments came forward UNTIL YOU.

By susan

Before you call someone a "loser" learn how to spell "loser". "Looser" means "less tight". Who is the looser, moron?

By Laughing Lady

So many celebrities seem to be keeling over these days. Is it the new status symbol?

By amy

geez are all the celebrities doing drugs? A combination of all these narcotics together with the cocaine probably stopped his heart-poypharmacy abuse its called.I just can't picture Billy doing a line.

By malt

Way to spell boy. Public school,right?

By Judy Beaudoin

Sad, but I wasn't surprised! There is a difference between energy and hyperactive over the top energy - and he was over the top.

Sad that people feel they need that stuff to be happy.

By herbie j

Billy Mays was such an annoying ass hole
Snorting cocaine with pain killer is beyond
Stupid! I all way though he was on something

By renoymichelle@aol.com

He must of paid 19.99 for his first dose, and then they gave him another dose for free, but first he had to pay for the shipping for each one. But wait, there was more! Since he was one of the first orders, naturally, he got a razor blade, and a bong.

By homecareking

ya know what just eating a stupid poppy seed muffin can give you a false reading when takeing a drug test. So don't be betraying billy as some kind of damn druggee untill you find out all the facts my friend.... word to the wise....... ;)

By Alehandro

I was Mr Mays drug dealer. I once tried to sell him some coke that was diluted with OxiClean, you know just as a joke, and dude cut me! I can laugh about it now, but at the time!

By Frank

Billy Mays here for orange blow.

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