The Passing of Pitchman Billy Mays the great American Salesman... 1958 - 2009

This is for you, Billy Mays, the great American salesman...

Billy, who was he? In the past few months we all learned
so much about the man behind the thick beard and the booming
voice. He was a kind man, even doing pro-bono work for the
client from Texas with the slippers.

A man who put God first, his Family second, and his Career third.
A man who overcame his hearing problems, and truly listened
to the needs of others.

The legend begins. On July 20, 1958, William D. Mays The
Champion Pitchman was born. The Mays family was so proud of their
new baby and man, could he cry loud!

What did Billy have that made him the perfect pitchman? He
appeared to have energy to burn. His thumbs up make you positive
you must have the product he's shilling, uh, selling.

He could project. Man, could he project. His voice was loud,
distinct, and his presentation was in your face.

Was he screaming or just putting everything he owned into the
words he spews on screen? ---> Tis a debate for sure.

He was a perfectionist to the T. He was a true believer in
the products that he endorsed. He showed us that wearing a
beard was cool again! Above all, he demonstrated that a man
from humble beginnings can rise to the top, and still be
humble, and Man whom overcame his adversity and built his
own Success. Despite his meteoric success and stardom, he never
took himself seriously.

Billy's parodies of Billy were sheer genius. He introduced us
to OrangeGlo, and OrangeGlo introduced millions of us to Billy,
and thus, the legend was born. The world of direct marketing
would never the same again. He was truly unforgettable! And
we will never forget him.

Every time we put OxiClean in our laundry, we will remember him.
There was never one like him, and there never will be.

Where would we be today without OxiClean (now a staple of
American households), Zorbeez, Mighty Mend-it, and Mighty Putty,
to name but a few? Who could ever forget the Awesome Auger?

And Billy broke new ground in direct marketing with iCan health
insurance. No matter what you may have thought about his hearing
problems (the deaf don't speak as loud as Billy!), we all know
that Billy Mays became an icon of American pop culture, the
everyman who achieved success through hard work and determination,
failure did not deter him. Someone we will never forget.

He pushed on with a drive few can match. And today, we all lost
someone special. There will never be another like him, a once in a
lifetime character, and he will be dearly missed by all.

Hi, Billy Mays, no longer here... http://billymaysgoodbye.ytmnd.com/

Norman F.S. Hanley