If there was a hall of fame for pitchmen, Billy Mays would be its founder. Billy Mays possessed the rare ability to endear himself to you and sell you almost any product within two minutes. His pitches sold millions of units of such items as Orange Glo, Jupiter Jack, and Oxi Clean. Billy Mays’s beard and blue shirt became a symbol to every working man that success was not out of reach.
On July 20, 1958, Billy Mays Jr. was born in McKees Rocks Pennsylvania. He graduated from Sto-Rox High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Billy Mays joined the movement to become a college graduate; however, he soon dropped out of West Virginia University. After college, he found employment with his dad’s hazardous waste company. Billy Mays would leave hazardous waste and move to Atlantic City in 1983.
Billy Mays’s move to Atlantic City introduced him to his future career…pitchman. Billy started pitching products such as Washamatik. Washmatik is a portable cleaning device. He “pitched” to anyone who would listen or could be drawn into listening. Soon, the world would realize that Billy Mays had found his calling.
Billy Mays learned from the best. Billy learned to sell from some of Atlantic City’s greatest pitchmen. Once again, he was destined to make a change. Billy Mays took his pitches on the road. He would spend the next 12 years traveling across the country. He would sell products at automobile shows, home shows, and state fairs.
In 1993, Bill Mays became friends with Max Appel. Max Appel was another pitchman with whom Billy had cultivated a rivalry. Appel had moved from pitchman to entrepeneur by founding Orange Glo International. Max Appel realized the greatness that was Billy Mays. He hired Billy to pitch his line of cleaners on the Home Shopping Network. Billy moved to St Petersburg, Florida to pitch products such as OxiClean, Orange Glo, and Kaboom.
Mays Promotions, Inc. introduced Billy Mays to the world of entrepeneurship. He founded Mays Promotions, Inc. out of his Odessa, Florida home. Billy Mays served as the company’s CEO. He achieved success by becoming known as the world’s greatest pitchman. Companies would pay top dollar to have him pitch their products. Inventors would pitch their inventions to him, hoping that Billy Mays would turn them into millionaires.
In 2009, Billy Mays became a TV superstar. Discovery Channel began airing “Pitchmen”. Pitchmen took viewers behind the scenes of TV infomercials. Viewers were able to watch inventors pitch their products to Billy Mays and his partner Anthony Sullivan. See which products they picked up and see how an infomercial is produced.
June 28, 2009 is a day that will live in infamy. Billy Mays’s wife found him unresponsive. At 7:45 a.m., he was pronounced dead. It is thought, he passed away during the night. News reports stated that early indications pointed to heart attack.
Rumors were put to rest by Dr. Vernard Adams. Dr. Adams performed Billy Mays’s autopsy. His findings indicated Mays was killed by hypertensive heart disease. The world’s greatest pitchman had been beaten by a heart attack.
July 3, 2009, Billy Mays was laid to rest in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. In honor of him, pallbearers wore the same khaki pants and blue shirts that were Billy’s trademark. He was even buried in a shire with the OxiClean logo.
Popularity: 1% [?]
