Billy Mays Gossip

Billy Mays, who took the art of the TV sales pitch to a new level, died of an heart attack Sunday morning, Florida authorities close to the situation revealed.

A medical examiner in Florida says Mays showed no evidence of head trauma, despite being struck on the head on board an airliner that made a rough landing.

That flight took place on Saturday night.

The TV advertising guru arrived home safely, despite the difficult landing, but Billy Mays was found dead early Sunday morning at his Tampa house.

Preliminary autopsy results show that Mays suffered from hypertensive heart disease, Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Vernard Adams said.

Infomercial king Billy Mays (1958-2009).

Toxicology and tissue tests will take several weeks before a final cause of death is issued, he said. But the autopsy showed no evidence of trauma to the head, either external or internal, despite Billy Mays hitting it on the plane.

The autopsy showed that Mays' heart was heavier than normal because the left ventricle had enlarged, a symptom of heart disease, Adams said, also noting that investigators had ruled out prescription drug abuse as a cause of his death.

Billy Mays was taking prescription painkillers Tramadol and hydrocodone for hip pain, but pill counts showed that Mays had taken the correct amount.

Billy Mays was found dead today in his home in Tampa, Fla., this morning.

The 50-year-old TV pitchman was discovered unresponsive by his wife Deborah at 7:45 a.m., according to the Tampa Police and numerous online reports.

His body has already been removed from his home.

Billy Mays had just returned from Philadelphia, where he shot a new OxiClean ad. He was a passenger aboard a plane that suffered a blown front tire upon landing.

He told a local TV station:

"All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."

Mays was at his home around 6:00 p.m. last night, and according to a source, was "acting fine and normal ... he was talking business with his father-in-law."

Renowned TV pitchman Billy Mays (1958-2009).

According to police, there are no signs of forced entry to the residence and no foul play is suspected. The Medical Examiner's office is expected to complete the autopsy by tomorrow afternoon, at which point more will be known.

Billy Mays' wife Deborah said in a statement: "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."