R.I.P. Billy Mays: 1958- 2009

Celebrity comes in all forms as we’ve seen with some of the stars who have passed away this week. First there was Ed Mcmahon, an amazing right hand man, and performer in his own right. Next, there was Farrah Fawcett, a seductive actress whose body made her a world wide icon and who’s heart endured her to millions as she struggled through cancer. Then, unexpectedly, there was Michael Jackson, the king of pop and quite possibly the most famous person in the world.

On Sunday a different kind of celebrity passed away, Billy Mays. If you don’t know him by name, then you’ll recognize blue shirt and boisterous voice that he used to sell everything from detergents to health insurance. No, he was never in a movie or on the pop charts, but he was probably on some TV in America every minute of every day for the last several years. They are still not sure what caused his death, but reports are pointing towards a knock to the head that he got during a rough plane landing on Saturday afternoon. In fact, this was the last thing he said on his twitter account.
Just had a close call landing in Tampa. The tires blew out upon landing. Stuck in the plane on the runway. You can always count on US Air.12:01 PM Jun 27th from txt

Sadly, this accident happened just has Billy was hitting the big time. While he’s spent his career in the often-disrespected world of infomercials, he was in the middle of crossing over to the mainstream. Not only did he just begin representing Arm and Hammer Baking Soda, but it was just announced that he was to become a new spokesperson for a series of Taco Bell ads.

Here’s a little bit of the lighter side of Billy Mays with a video of infomercial bloopers including many of his own.

Also, check out his appearance on the Tonight Show just a few days ago.