This article will answer every question you have about Billy Mays. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about him.
- What does Billy Mays do for a living?
- Who are Billy Mays’s parents and siblings?
- What are Billy Mays’s interests and hobbies?
- Is Billy Mays married or does he have a girlfriend?
- Does Billy Mays have any children?
- Where is Billy Mays now?
- How tall is Billy Mays?
- How much money does Billy Mays earn?
- What is Billy Mays’s net worth?
N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.
Who is Billy Mays?
Billy Mays was an American television direct-response advertisement salesperson. Throughout his career, he promoted a wide variety of products, including OxiClean, Orange Glo, Kaboom, and Zorbeez. His promotions aired mostly on the Home Shopping Network through his company, Mays Promotions, Inc although they aired on various other syndicated networks.
Mays and his business partner, Anthony Sullivan, were also featured on PitchMen, a Discovery Channel television series that documented their work. His distinctive beard, attire, and impassioned sales pitches made him a recognized television presence in the United States and Canada.
Billy Mays’s Career
Early work
After dropping out of college, Mays worked for his father’s hazardous waste company before moving to Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1983. On the Atlantic City boardwalk, Mays sold the Washmatik portable washing device to passersby, along with other “As Seen on TV” products. In Atlantic City, he was taught how to sell by the older salesmen, saying “I was taught to pitch by a lot of old pitchmen. That’s the kind of style I have.”
Mays then traveled to home shows, auto shows, and state fairs across the United States for a period of twelve years, selling various maintenance products and tools, including cleaning products and food choppers.
Television pitching
At a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania home show in 1993, Mays struck up a friendship with rival salesman Max Appel, founder of Orange Glo International, a Denver-based manufacturer of cleaning products. He was then hired by the company to promote their line of cleaners, OxiClean, Orange Clean, Orange Glo, and Kaboom, on the Home Shopping Network in St. Petersburg, Florida. That same year he also befriended another future pitchman, Anthony Sullivan. Customer response to Mays’ sales pitches was enthusiastic, with a sharp increase in sales after his first day on the network, although some reviews were poor.
He was very well known for shouting in an abrasive manner during infomercials. For example, The Washington Post staff writer Frank Ahrens called him and other similar television salesmen “a full-volume pitchman, amped up like a candidate for a tranquilizer-gun takedown”. In October 2000, he shot an infomercial for the then-three-year-old OxiClean corporation. He would be a staple on the group, as well as the more common company at the time, Orange Glo. Later on, he would appear in Kaboom infomercials.
Mays Production
Mays was the CEO and founder of Mays Promotions, Inc., based at his home in Odessa, Florida. His services as a pitchman became highly sought-after, and he appeared in commercials for many diverse “As Seen On TV” products such as Mighty Putty. Mays claimed to be an avid user of the products he promoted.
In December 2008, Mays began appearing in ads for ESPN’s online service, ESPN360. These ads were a slight departure for Mays as they were designed to be parodies of his and other infomercial cliches with Mays appearing to be doing a parody of himself. He also made a live appearance during the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl promoting ESPN’s and ABC’s January 1, 2009, bowl games. Prior to his death, Mays had signed a deal with Taco Bell to film infomercial-style commercials for the chain. The shooting was scheduled to begin in August 2009.
On April 15, 2009, the Discovery Channel began airing PitchMen, a documentary series that featured Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their jobs in direct-response marketing. After Mays’ death, Discovery Channel aired a special Billy Mays tribute special, Pitchman: A Tribute to Billy Mays.
On March 27, 2009, Mays appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He and Sullivan also appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien on June 23, 2009, five days before his death.
How Old was Billy Mays at Time of Death?
May was born on July 20, 1958, in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. He died on June 28 2009 in Tampa Florida.
Billy Mays‘s Family
Who are Billy Mays’s parents?
Mays’ mother is Joyce Palm, and his father is Billy Mays Sr.; he was survived by both.
Does Billy Mays have siblings?
Mays has a brother named Randy Mays.
Billy Mays‘s Education
He was a student at Sto-Rox High School, and later West Virginia University, where he was a walk-on linebacker on its football team during his two years there.
Billy Mays‘s Marriage and Kids
Mays’ first marriage was to Dolores “Dee Dee” Mays, which ended in divorce. He had a son with Dolores named Billy Mays III (born 1987) who worked as a production assistant alongside his father on the PitchMen television show. Mays had a daughter, Elizabeth, with his second wife, Deborah Mays. His daughter was three-years-old at the time of his death.
Billy Mays‘s Death
Mays was found unresponsive by his wife in his Tampa, Florida home on the morning of June 28, 2009. He was pronounced dead at 7:45 am, appearing to have died sometime overnight. He died less than a month before his 51st birthday.
Billy Mays’s Net Worth
Mays had an estimated net worth of $10 million.
Height/Measurements
Mays was 1.78 m tall.
