Billy Mays; Family: Never Saw Signs of Cocaine Use
43 replies, posted
[quote]TAMPA, Fla. – The family of TV pitchman Billy Mays said they were never aware that he used cocaine or other non-prescription drugs before his death and they were considering whether to have an independent review of an official autopsy.
The Hillsborough County medical examiner's office released the results of its autopsy on Friday, finding that cocaine use had contributed to the heart disease that suddenly killed the 50-year-old in June. He was discovered by his wife in bed at their Tampa condo the morning of June 28.
Mays was a pop-culture fixture with his energetic commercials pitching gadgets and cleaning products like Orange Glo and OxiClean.
While heart disease was the primary cause of his death, the medical examiner listed cocaine as a "contributory cause of death."
The medical examiner "concluded that cocaine use caused or contributed to the development of his heart disease, and thereby contributed to his death," the office said in a press release.
The office said Mays last used cocaine in the few days before his death but was not under the influence of the drug when he died. Hillsborough County spokeswoman Lori Hudson said nothing in the toxicology report indicated the frequency of Mays' cocaine use.
Cocaine can raise the arterial blood pressure, directly cause thickening of the left wall of the ventricle and accelerate the formation of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries, the release said.
The toxicology tests also showed therapeutic amounts of painkillers hydrocodone, oxycodone and tramadol, as well as anti-anxiety drugs alprazolam and diazepam. Mays had suffered hip problems and was scheduled for hip-replacement surgery the day after he was found dead.
Mays' family questioned the finding of cocaine and criticized the medical examiner's officer for issuing the report.
"We were totally unaware of any non-prescription drug usage and are actively considering an independent evaluation of the autopsy results," Mays' family said in a statement.
The statement said the family was "extremely disappointed" by the release of the information. They said the report "contains speculative conclusions that are frankly unnecessary and tend to obscure the conclusion that Billy suffered from chronic, untreated hypertension, which only demonstrates how important it is to regularly monitor one's health."
Longtime friend and colleague AJ Khubani, founder and CEO of the "As Seen on TV" product company Telebrands, said Mays never showed any signs of drug use and was always prepared for his many commercial shoots.
"I'm just shocked," Khubani said. "He was the model of a responsible citizen."
Mays, a McKees Rocks, Pa., native, 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.
He got his start on TV on the Home Shopping Network and then branched out into commercials and infomercials. He developed such a strong following that he became the subject of a reality TV series, Discovery Channel's "Pitchmen."[/quote]
Source: [url]http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090808/ap_on_en_tv/us_billy_mays[/url]
Wow, never saw that one coming.
From what i heard, he didn't. He was on a prescription drug that had some of the things they put in cocaine.
Sounds like the news is blowing it up :/
it was Esterom or whatever
Doesn't make a difference since hes dead now.
I always new he did the drugs.
NO WE CAN REVIVE HIM IF WE KEEP TRYING
notrly
[QUOTE=peabrain101;16596206]I always new he did the [sp]prescription[/sp] drugs.[/QUOTE]
No shit. He had joint pain and the likes, not to mention the constant stress he was under.
eh guys like that have really stressful lives, it wouldn't surprise me whatsoever if he was into cocaine
I figured it was either drugs or a concussion when he died
[QUOTE=ProboardslolV2;16595978]From what i heard, he didn't. He was on a prescription drug that had some of the things they put in cocaine.
Sounds like the news is blowing it up :/[/QUOTE]
It was this.
Stupid fucking TMZ and their need to bullshit everything.
[QUOTE=BricknHead;16596247]I figured it was either drugs or a concussion when he died[/QUOTE]
It was a combination of preexisting conditions like hypertension and the impact of the luggage.
that's cause he was good at hiding it
druggies are crafty like that
[QUOTE=Sigma-Lambda;16596790]that's cause he was good at hiding it
druggies are crafty like that[/QUOTE]
Except meth. Even the pipe gets in trouble.
[img]http://www.heisanevilgenius.com/evcrit/crazycrop.GIF[/img]
[QUOTE=ProboardslolV2;16595978]From what i heard, he didn't. He was on a prescription drug that had some of the things they put in cocaine.
Sounds like the news is blowing it up :/[/QUOTE]
[b] THIS. FUCKING THIS.[/b]
I sense an incoming shitstorm similar to what happened to Michael Jackson.
Someone says something bad about a celebrity, media jumps on it and throws it around as if it is a fact.
When i read the report about the coke. It never said he did coke. It said that he "had <insert long and confusing name here>, which is a byproduct of cocaine, in his system"
my mom heard on the news that billy did cocaine all the time
i told her he was actually taking prescription drugs but she insisted I was wrong because she heard it on the news
it might be true, it [B][I]was[/I][/B] on the the news after all
[QUOTE=rilez;16597570]my mom heard on the news that billy did cocaine all the time
i told her he was actually taking prescription drugs but she insisted I was wrong because she heard it on the news
it might be true, it [B][I]was[/I][/B] on the the news after all[/QUOTE]
:foxnews:
Well of course!
[QUOTE=Alvaldi;16598219]:foxnews:
Well of course![/QUOTE]
she got it from our local news channel
nice try though
[QUOTE=rilez;16598325]she got it from our local news channel
nice try though[/QUOTE]
Yea, The news is [b]always[/b] right, 100% Perfect, never wrong.
[QUOTE=Wangman;16597254][b] THIS. FUCKING THIS.[/b]
I sense an incoming shitstorm similar to what happened to Michael Jackson.
Someone says something bad about a celebrity, media jumps on it and throws it around as if it is a fact.[/QUOTE]I can handle them talking shit about Michael like that btu I'll be deep fried in the semen of a thousand fucking horses before I let them tarnish Billy's reputation.
WHO IS WITH ME?
[QUOTE=MiniManz;16598643]I can handle them talking shit about Michael like that btu I'll be deep fried in the semen of a thousand fucking horses before I let them tarnish Billy's reputation.
WHO IS WITH ME?[/QUOTE]
.
I always thought he did speed because.....you know.
I think it might of been something else. But none the less Billy will be missed.
He was a fucking badass.
Maybe they thought that white powder on his desk was just oxy clean :v:
[QUOTE=Jimmy422;16615146]Maybe they thought that white powder on his desk was just oxy clean :v:[/QUOTE]
HAHAHAHAHAHAH. THAT NEVER CEASES TO BE FUNNY.
Oh, wait.
[QUOTE=RJ102;16598464]Yea, The news is [b]always[/b] right, 100% Perfect, never wrong.[/QUOTE]
Always.
[B][I]Always.[/I][/B]
ALWAYS:kraken:
[b]ALWAYS[/b]
Always.
sometimes
Maybe not all the times.
Cocaine? wow that is nothing...
Cocaine is just demonized like any other drugs, in reality, it's nothing...
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