June 29, 2009 -Billy Mays, the product pusher with a booming voice and jet-black beard, was found dead at his Florida home on Sunday. He complained to his wife he didn't feel well after an incident on a plane when an overhead object hit him in the head. Mourning family members are awaiting an autopsy to determine the cause of the sudden death. The coroner's office expected to have the autopsy done by Monday afternoon.

Mays told his wife he didn't feel well when he went to bed Saturday night. Earlier in the day, he said he was hit on the head when the airplane he was riding in had a rough landing at Tampa Bay's airport.
The airline, U.S. Airways, said no passengers reported any serious injuries, and Mays himself cheerfully recounted the landing for a local TV station.

The bumpy landing occurred because the plane blew its front tires.
Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said linking Mays' death to the landing would "purely be speculation." She said Mays' family members didn't report any health issues with the pitchman, but said he was due to have hip replacement surgery in coming weeks.

"Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times," Deborah Mays says in a statement, Police do not suspect any foul play.

Born William Mays in McKees Rocks, Pa., on July 20, 1958, Mays developed his style demonstrating knives, mops and other "As Seen on TV" gadgets on Atlantic City's boardwalk. For years he worked as a hired gun on the state fair and home show circuits, attracting crowds with his booming voice and genial manner.

AJ Khubani, founder and CEO of "As Seen on TV," said he first met Mays in the early 1990s when Mays was still pitching one of his early products, the Shammy absorbent cloth, at a trade fair. He said he most recently worked with Mays on the reality TV show 'Pitchmen' on the Discovery Channel, which follows Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs.