Billy Mays found dead

[Brent]

Looks like that theory is out the window:

TAMPA, Fla. – Television pitchman Billy Mays likely died of a heart attack in his sleep, but further tests are needed to be sure of the cause of death, a medical examiner said Monday.

Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Vernard Adams said Mays suffered from hypertensive heart disease, and the wall of the left ventricle of Mays' heart and the wall of one of his arteries were enlarged. The boisterous, bearded 50-year-old known for hawking OxiClean and other products on national commercials was found dead Sunday by his wife in their Tampa condominium.

"The heart disease is perfectly consistent with sudden death," Adams said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090629/ap_ ... FsZXhhbWk-

[CajunMama]

Pitchman marathon on Discovery tonight

[Cyclone1]

T-T

The last episode ended on a very sad note....

[cycloneye]

Oh boy,this is really sad and surprising.



TAMPA, Fla. - An autopsy report shows that cocaine use contributed to the heart disease that suddenly killed TV pitchman Billy Mays in June, officials announced Friday.

The Hillsborough County medical examiner's office previously determined that the bearded, boisterous TV spokesman had a heart attack in his sleep. His wife found him unresponsive in bed in their Tampa condo June 28.

Mays was a pop-culture fixture with his energetic commercials pitching gadgets and cleaning products like Orange Glo and OxiClean.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32334881/ns/us_news-life/

[OpieStorm]

Oh wow.





Cocaine's a helluva drug.

[HURAKAN]

WOW, quite shocking.

[angelwing]

I'm looking for the article, ...letmesee...........

Statement from Billy Mays’ Family In Response to Medical Examiner’s Report

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site ... ewsLang=en

[somethingfunny]

I'd expect it from the Slap-Chop guy. Billy?

Yeah, still not too surprising. But much sadder.

[Ed Mahmoud]

Story I saw was that he was not using cocaine the day of his death, levels suggested use several days earlier, it was listed as a contributing cause of death because it can exacerbate hypertension and cause arterial damage.

But he didn't have a sudden MI or aryhthmia as a direct result of using cocaine like Len Bias.

Since he did die of natural causes, even if the coroner believes recreational drug use may have been a contributive factor, I don't know why the coroner had to release this publically.

[Stephanie]

It is a sadder footnote to his untimely death.

[Dionne]

Story I saw was that he was not using cocaine the day of his death, levels suggested use several days earlier, it was listed as a contributing cause of death because it can exacerbate hypertension and cause arterial damage.

But he didn't have a sudden MI or aryhthmia as a direct result of using cocaine like Len Bias.

Since he did die of natural causes, even if the coroner believes recreational drug use may have been a contributive factor, I don't know why the coroner had to release this publically.

It was more than recreational drug use. It was addiction.

Three pain meds, xanax, valium and cocaine. One physician alone would not write a script for hydrocodone, oxycodone and tramadol at the same time.

Top it all off with hypertension.....your flirting with disaster.

It's no wonder the bump to the head on the airliner didn't bother him. He had enough pharmaceuticals in his system at therapeutic levels to mask critical symptoms.

The really rotten part is that this happens to people everyday. Oddly enough most patients do not even know they have addiction problems.

Of course they want to blame it on cocaine. The next people in line are the physician(s) that wrote the scripts.

[MGC]

But did the same DR write all those perscriptions? Many time drug addictics go to different DRs to get their drug fix. There should be a system in place to prevent this....MGC

[george_r_1961]

But did the same DR write all those perscriptions? Many time drug addictics go to different DRs to get their drug fix. There should be a system in place to prevent this....MGC

There is here in VA.

A database keeps track of prescriptions for narcotics. Not sure what happens when someone gets caught feeding their addiction though.

[Dionne]

But did the same DR write all those perscriptions? Many time drug addictics go to different DRs to get their drug fix. There should be a system in place to prevent this....MGC

There is for the opiates, hydrocodone and oxycodone. You must refill at the original pharmacy. Pharmacists verify scripts. On the xanax and valium....I do not know. Tramadol.....which my wife uses....is dispensed in 3 month portions, with regular diagnostic checks.