The Hillsborough County medical examiner Dr. Vernard Adams said Monday that Mays had heart disease . Listen to the 911 call '' Mays ' wife , Deborah Mays , released this statement Monday : `` While it provides some closure to learn that heart disease took Billy from us , it certainly does n't ease the enormous void that his death has created in our lives . '' Handsome in a Brawny Towel Guy sort of way , Mays seemed to be as boisterous off camera as he was on , at least in interviews . He once compared his hands to `` weapons '' for the way they would whip around a product like a fast-dancing showgirl . And even when he did n't feel like cracking a smile , he dug deep . `` When I 'm up against a wall , that 's when Billy Mays performs best , '' he told a Fortune magazine writer earlier this year while driving his Bentley near his home . At the time , Mays ' bum hip was hurting him . He had his hip replaced last year and recently talked about using a special gel insole to help
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Billy Mays always let you know who you were talking to . OxiClean pitchman Billy Mays , king of the `` yell and sell '' technique died Sunday morning at his home in Tampa . `` Billy Mays , here . '' The 50-year-old became famous for hawking products like OxiClean -LRB- `` Powered by the air you breathe ! '' -RRB- and Mighty Mendit -LRB- `` Before you throw it away , let Mighty Mendit save the day ! '' -RRB- . You needed more space in your closet , Mays had a special hanger for that . You wanted to hang a picture without putting a hole in your wall , he had some supernatural putty you needed to know about . You had a spill ? One word . Zorbeez . `` I 'm a pitchman , my business comes from the pitch , nothing else , '' Mays said recently in an interview with Portfolio . `` My voice , my likeness is my livelihood . That 's it . I keep it simple . I pick good products . '' Mays died Sunday at his home near Tampa , Florida .