Billy Mays, Jr., the most famous direct response pitchman will always be remembered for pitching products like Oxi Clean, Orange Glo, and the Jupiter Jack. Billy Mays possessed a unique personality. Coupled with his trademark blue shirt and beard endeared him to working class Americans.

Mays was born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, on July 20, 1958. He would go on to attend Sto-Rox High School, while living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He dropped out of West Virginia University. Billy Mays began working with his father’s hazardous waste company. He then moved to Atlantic City in 1983.

Atlantic City began Billy Mays down the career that would make him famous…pitchman. He started pitching products to anyone that passed by. Early on, Billy Mays pitched a variety of cleaning products including Washamatik a portable cleaning device. He would move on to pitch “As Seen On TV” products.

Pitchmen must be able to draw people to them, interest them, and make the sale. Billy Mays learned how to sell from other Atlantic City pitchmen. Billy listened to every word. The skills learned in Atlantic City would become the launchpad for Billy Mays’s career. Leaving Atlantic City, he traveled from home shows, to automobile shows, to state fairs throughout the country.

Billy Mays met Max Appel in 1993. Max Appel had founded Orange Glo International. Appel and Billy were rival pitchmen. Even though he was a pitchman, Appel realized that Billy Mays could make him money. He hired Billy to promote his company’s cleaning products. Through the Home Shopping Network, Billy would turn such products as Kaboom, Orange Glo, and OxiClean into household names.

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.

Billy Mays was destined to become a TV superstar. With business partner Anthony Sullivan, he entered into a contract with Discovery Channel to produce “Pitchmen”. Pitchmen is a documentary that provides a behind the scenes look at infomercials. From reviewing new inventions to choosing the best one and filming an infomercial.

Billy Mays’s wife found him unresponsive on June 28, 2009. Initially, it was thought that he may have suffered a head injury. The day before, he had been on a very turbulent flight. The overhead bin had opened and items fell onto him. Later announcements would state that Billy Mays had died of a massive 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.

Billy Mays was a pitchman to the end. At his funeral in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, Billy Mays was buried in a shirt bearing the OxiClean logo. His career was seen throughout the service. Pallbearers wore khaki pants and blue shirts, just as Billy had during his commercials.