Another TV Celebrity Has Passed Away!

[HiTech]

TV pitchman Billy Mays passed away Sunday morning. Full story can be read HERE . And to think just last night I watched a rebroadcast of TV Pitchmen documentary featuring both Mays and Anthony Sullivan. Mays had a certain kind of charisma over Sullivan, that aided him in selling products to the billion dollar sales level. Maybe it was his perpetual smile and the "blue collar" look? Sullivan is to prim and proper and rarely cracks a smile... must be a Brit thing!

R.I.P Billy
**broken link removed**

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Presumably this is a very minor 'celebrity'?.

 

[killivolt]

Presumably this is a very minor 'celebrity'?.

He made about 10 million a year pitching products on TV.

Not bad.

I'm just wondering what the lawsuit will be when the family if they find out it was the airlines that killed him. A lawyer with that information will bankrupt and already failing Air line industry.


kv

 

[blueroomelectronics]

How did he manage to bump his head on the airplane? Was he not buckled in during the landing when the tire blew?

 

[killivolt]

How did he manage to bump his head on the airplane? Was he not buckled in during the landing when the tire blew?

One of those news people that follow every known partially known or to be known person was at the Air Port after the landing to report the harrowing experience.

He said that it was an extremely hard landing and that a compartment opened up and a bag landed on his head ?


kv

 

[BeeBop]

How did he manage to bump his head on the airplane? Was he not buckled in during the landing when the tire blew?

Some overhead cargo got dumped on his head. There was an interview on the TV, perhaps CBC News? He said he had a 'hard head.'

He was a great pitch man!

 

[killivolt]

Some overhead cargo got dumped on his head. There was an interview on the TV, perhaps CBC News? He said he had a 'hard head.'

He was a great pitch man!

I was one click ahead of you. Usually I'm not fast enough.


kv

Edit: Now I remember the comment of having a Hard Head. My dad when ever I was injured would ask the nurse well was it his head cause if it was to his head he will survive. To date almost had my head crushed by a rock. Several baseballs. A few good pummeling with by fist's. And one Baseball Bat which was the only one that made me see stars. "Almost knocked my Eyeball out."

 

[BeeBop]

I was one click ahead of you. Usually I'm not fast enough.


kv

Edit: Now I remember the comment of having a Hard Head. My dad when ever I was injured would ask the nurse well was it his head cause if it was to his head he will survive. To date almost had my head crushed by a rock. Several baseballs. A few good pummeling with by fist's. And one Baseball Bat which was the only one that made me see stars. "Almost knocked my Eyeball out.

I saw that after I posted.

Baseball bat? OUCH! It is always fun 'til someone loses, or almost loses, an eye.

For me it was falling off the hood of a car while listening to the sound a motor was making trying to diagnose a problem. It is a wonder we make it through childhood and adolescence.

 

[killivolt]

I saw that after I posted.

Baseball bat? OUCH! It is always fun 'til someone loses, or almost loses, an eye.

For me it was falling off the hood of a car while listening to the sound a motor was making trying to diagnose a problem. It is a wonder we make it through childhood and adolescence.

Got that right.

That reminds me of the Wonder Years TV sitcom.

kv

Edit: I thought this was amusing 95% narration.

YouTube - The Silent Wonder Years

 

[Bob Scott]

TV pitchman Billy Mays passed away Sunday morning.
R.I.P Billy
**broken link removed**

He died before he could pronounce the word "powerful".

He'd say Oxyclean is "pair-full", "payerful", anything but "powerful". It must be a local dialect.
Wasn't he the one who was also selling that silly spray-on black paint to cover the bald spot your head?
He was interesting. He didn't deserve to die like that.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

The hairspray was Ron Popeil who I think also invented the "Pocket Horse"
Ron Popeil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[HiTech]

According to Mays himself, he wouldn't pitch for items that didn't live up to their mfgr's claims. He often tested them himself. He felt that this was very important to his career, especially since his face is associated with the product in many consumer's minds. I have to admit that his sales voice was a bit annoying, but it was part of his sell. During the interview, his voice was calm and of normal volume. Personally, I think it was his clean look and smile that did it for him. It's a shame that his family is left without him.

When it comes to tv pitchman Ron Popeil, I'd like to "set him and forget him!"

 

[HiTech]

Presumably this is a very minor 'celebrity'?.

On your side of the pond ... over here he was the driving force behind billions of dollars in merchandise sales. He spoke the "people's language", unlike Mr. Prim & Proper, Anthony Sullivan. Sometimes I think Ad agencies intentionally hire salespeople with an accent. It's been studied that many women are drawn to a man with a foreign accent; so what better way to draw the interest of a female consumer!

 

[3v0]

Presumably this is a very minor 'celebrity'?.

I think so. Why would/should annoying people via TV make anyone a celebrity ? More like ~celebrity

A few years back I had the privilege of knowing one of the original boardwalk pitchmen. His pitch was far smoother. But then he was not as rich as Billy. It seems that the boardwalk pitch does not translate directly to TV.

 

[OutToLunch]

It seems that the boardwalk pitch does not translate directly to TV.

A perfect example of that is the Sham-Wow idiot

 

[Triode]

Vince the shamwow guy is alive, but he got in a fight with a hooker.

 

[Hero999]

He made about 10 million a year pitching products on TV.

He certainly wasn't an international celebrity, like Michael Jackson was, he's not on UK TV and I've never heard of him.

 

[audioguru]

According to Mays himself, he wouldn't pitch for items that didn't live up to their mfgr's claims. He often tested them himself. He felt that this was very important to his career, especially since his face is associated with the product in many consumer's minds. I have to admit that his sales voice was a bit annoying, but it was part of his sell.

A neighbour gave me some Oxi-Clean. I tried it and it is the same as any other cleaner.
Billy Mays screamed in an annoying soprano voice.

 

[killivolt]

He certainly wasn't an international celebrity, like Michael Jackson was, he's not on UK TV and I've never heard of him.

Last night the talking heads (News people) said that he recorded over 200 songs no one has ever heard. This was to take care of the children.


kv

 

[DCM Guy]

yeah wouldn't really count him as a celebrity, but he did seem like a nice guy. Just saw him not too long ago on the Tonight show with Leno, Dana Carvey was on with him. Guy seemed pretty cool and funny.