Billy Mays, who took his exuberant, in-your-face style to the small screen to sell a whole host of products in commercials and longer-form infomercials, has passed away at the age of 50 at his home in Tampa, Florida.
Mr. Mays, who is known for pitching Oxiclean, OrangeGlo and a variety of other products on television, is thought to have suffered a heart attack.
"He launched so many products, it was amazing.
I don't know anyone more recognizable than Billy in the industry," Mark Biglow,
a sales and marketing executive for Mercury Media, told CNNMoney.com.
Church & Dwight, which hired Mr. Mays to pitch its OxiClean, Kaboom and Orange Glo brands, has pulled those spots with his passing.
"It's premature to talk about future plans.
All of our thoughts are with the Mays family at this time," Bruce
Fleming, chief marketing officer of Church & Dwight, said in an e-mail
to CNNMoney.com.
Discussion Questions: What do you see as the future of infomercials? What did Billy Mays mean to the business and what effect will his passing have on it?