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Cocaine contributed to pitchman Mays' death, autopsy report says

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The official cause of Billy Mays' June 28 death remains a heart attack.

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TBO.com

Published: August 7, 2009

Updated: 08/07/2009 06:12 pm

Billy Mays' cocaine use contributed to the cause of his death, according to an autopsy report released today.

The TV pitchman had last used cocaine days prior to his death, the report states. He died from heart disease, but cocaine use was listed as a contributory cause of death because of the cumulative effect cocaine use had on his heart, the autopsy stated.

Mays, 50, was found dead in Tampa on June 28. The autopsy was performed the next day.

"From the presence of metabolites of cocaine and the absence of cocaine itself, it was concluded that Mr. Mays used cocaine in the few days prior to his death but not immediately prior to death," a Hillsborough County press release states. "Cocaine can raise the arterial blood pressure, directly cause thickening of the wall of the left ventricle of the heart, and accelerate the formation of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries."

The autopsy report doesn't mention how much cocaine Mays used.

"I don't know that that necessarily is known," county spokeswoman Lori Hudson said. "Clearly it was in his system. It had been used in the days prior to his death, but the exact amount over how much of a period of time, we wouldn't have that."

Mays' family released a statement on businesswire.com saying the press release "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.

"Given the hectic nature and pace of Billy's life, especially during the past 10 months of his exhaustive travel across the country, it was not surprising to hear that hypertension was the cause of his death. We were totally unaware of any non prescription drug usage and are actively considering an independent evaluation of the autopsy results."

Asked via Twitter to comment, Mays' business partner, Anthony "Sully" Sullivan, and Mays' son Billy Mays III posted links to the family statement.

Mays has a family history of heart disease.

Mays was found dead in his South Tampa town home. Initially, there had been speculation that he received a blow to the head the day prior to his death during a rough airplane landing, as well as speculation about a blood clot migrating from his leg to his heart. There were no signs of head trauma or blood clots, Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Vernard Adams said at a June 29 news conference.

In a statement issued shortly after Mays' death, his wife, Deborah, said, "Billy would be overwhelmed to see that his life touched so many people in a positive way. … While it provides some closure to learn that heart disease took Billy from us, it certainly doesn't ease the enormous void that his death has created in our lives."

Billy Mays III told a radio host that he had spoken to his father the day before Mays was found dead and that his dad had sounded tired and nervous about a planned hip replacement surgery.

The death of the TV infomercial icon, whose trademark booming voice and high-energy style generated billions of dollars in product sales, is being called a great loss by those in television sales.

Toxicology tests show Mays had therapeutic amounts of anti-anxiety drugs diazepam and alprazolam, commonly known as valium and xanax, in his system.

According to the autopsy, he had also had therapeutic amounts of hydrocodone, oxycodone and tramadol in his system. Mays' family said he had been chronic pain for more than two years and was going to a have a third hip surgery in less than two years.

"His use of prescription pain medication for his hip condition was guided by his physician and was at recommended usage levels," according to the family statement. "This has been a very difficult period for our family and we appreciate the respect for our privacy that Billy's many clients, fans and members of the media have extended. We appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers for the family and will not have any immediate comment beyond this statement."

Stay with TBO.com for updates.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691.

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