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adamfishercox · Jun 28, 2009, 01:03 PM

These things come in.. fours?

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publics...cle1014018.ece

ShortcutToMoncton · Jun 28, 2009, 01:17 PM

Quick, SOMEONE CHECK THE ALIBI ON THE SHAM-WOW GUY

64stang06 · Jun 28, 2009, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by adamfishercox

These things come in.. fours?

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publics...cle1014018.ece

Are we not including David Carradine in any of this?

adamfishercox · Jun 28, 2009, 01:20 PM

I was counting the past week but sure. Then it's 5.

Chongo · Jun 28, 2009, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by adamfishercox

These things come in.. fours?

TV pitchman Billy Mays found dead in Tampa home - St. Petersburg Times

Abe Vigoda? abe vigoda status

BlueSky · Jun 28, 2009, 01:27 PM

Sad. Saw him on tv last night with his beautiful wife and kids in a health insurance commercial, they must be devastated. Like practically everyone else I didn't know what to make of this character as my hair blew back from his constant bellowing in my face, but recently I really came to appreciate what he does and get the humor.

64stang06 · Jun 28, 2009, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by adamfishercox

I was counting the past week but sure. Then it's 5.

True, I was just thinking of this month. But 4 in a week is pretty devastating either way.

Chongo · Jun 28, 2009, 02:03 PM

What is the "official window" for the rule of three anyway?
Jackson, Fawcett, McMahon: The Celebrity Death Rule of Three - Speakeasy - WSJ
David Carradine
Ed McMahon
Farah Fawcett
Michael Jackson
Billy Mays
??????

ThinkInsane · Jun 28, 2009, 02:12 PM

Has anyone checked the dead pool thread?

64stang06 · Jun 28, 2009, 02:38 PM

RIP.

SSharon · Jun 28, 2009, 02:55 PM

I gained a lot of respect for Billy after watching a few episodes of Pitchman. You can really see his dedication to his work and family. He will be missed.

cybergoober · Jun 28, 2009, 03:22 PM

Yeah, I kinda hated him at first. But after watching Pitchmen, I came to enjoy him.

RIP

SSharon · Jun 28, 2009, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by cybergoober

Yeah, I kinda hated him at first. But after watching Pitchmen, I came to enjoy him.

RIP

Obviously as a professional pitchman I take everything he says on TV with a huge grain of salt, but during the show when he rejected products for being unsafe or bad for the environment he came across as 100% genuine and sincere. He clearly didn't half-ass his work.

ghporter · Jun 28, 2009, 03:41 PM

Billy didn't take himself very seriously. Anyone else ever see his ESPN commercials? Classic self-parody. After seeing those, I changed my mind about his being annoying or just loud. Working, he was just loud, and that's part of the job.

ctt1wbw · Jun 28, 2009, 06:01 PM

Anyone ever actually use OxiClean? That crap is worthless.

Dr. Wahnsinn · Jun 28, 2009, 06:11 PM

Even harder to believe that his son was posting to Twitter on the way home from the hospital. Can't anybody keep anything to themselves anymore?

R.I.P. Billy

Kerrigan · Jun 28, 2009, 06:12 PM

I hope the all-caps feature of MacNN dies next

R.I.P.

SSharon · Jun 28, 2009, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by Dr. Wahnsinn

Even harder to believe that his son was posting to Twitter on the way home from the hospital. Can't anybody keep anything to themselves anymore?

R.I.P. Billy

He had under 3000 followers at the time so it isn't like he was yelling it to the world (even though of course everyone can reed his tweets). The family does want to keep things quiet and the tweet even mentioned that everyone would find out soon enough anyway. Twitter is simply how people communicate now and his messages weren't inappropriate so I don't see the problem.

finboy · Jun 28, 2009, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by ctt1wbw

Anyone ever actually use OxiClean? That crap is worthless.

Depends on what you use it for. I've had pretty good success with it, but that was a few years ago. Maybe it's cheaper now or something.

Did anyone hear that he'd been interviewed after his flight landed (rough) and had been hit in the head on the flight? I'm betting that a crash landing 12 hours before his death was a contributing factor.

ghporter · Jun 28, 2009, 08:18 PM

I've had quite strong successes with Oxy-Clean and similar non-branded products. Laundry booster, carpet stain remover, dishwasher cleaner... I've used it on lots of things and it's done a good job. It is not a miracle cure for gout, nor will it make your dog a straight A student, but if used according to directions, it does a good job of breaking down protein-based stains.

I ain't blaming or crediting Billy Mays for this, just stating what I've seen.

lpkmckenna · Jun 28, 2009, 08:44 PM

I never bought the "rule of 3s" bit, ever since Mother Theresa and Princess Diana both died. There was no third then, and there is no third now.

Eriamjh · Jun 28, 2009, 09:11 PM

Regular people die every day. The rule of 3 is irrelevant.

So who's next?

harbinger75 · Jun 28, 2009, 10:12 PM

The end is nigh, MacNN'ers. Mark. My. Words.

Kerrigan · Jun 28, 2009, 11:55 PM

The Twitter accounts for Britney Spears, Ellen DeGeneres and Diddy were broken into on Sunday.

The rule of 3s strikes again.

Gankdawg · Jun 29, 2009, 12:24 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Billy didn't take himself very seriously. Anyone else ever see his ESPN commercials? Classic self-parody. After seeing those, I changed my mind about his being annoying or just loud. Working, he was just loud, and that's part of the job.

Big Mac · Jun 29, 2009, 03:08 AM

My family was watching the news while I was in another room when this story broke. The headline hit me harder than any of the previous celeb deaths from this month, as strange as that may sound. My brother and I are huge Billy Mays fans.

WTF is up with all the celeb deaths? Is there a diabolical plot currently being executed to silence our pop culture stars? Or is this a form of divine justice designed to wean us rapidly off of our consumer culture?

I hope SJ's feeling okay. I don't want him to go next.

Rumor · Jun 29, 2009, 03:52 AM

Chuckit · Jun 29, 2009, 04:04 AM

Originally Posted by Dr. Wahnsinn

Even harder to believe that his son was posting to Twitter on the way home from the hospital. Can't anybody keep anything to themselves anymore?

R.I.P. Billy

What is this "anymore" business? People have always wanted to talk about their thoughts.

MarkLT1 · Jun 29, 2009, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by Dr. Wahnsinn

Even harder to believe that his son was posting to Twitter on the way home from the hospital. Can't anybody keep anything to themselves anymore?

R.I.P. Billy

Shrug.. sometimes less personal forms of communication can be an easy way to get information out in a tough situation. Heck, this spring, when my son was born premature and ended up in the NICU, I sent out updates via twitter and facebook status. Wasn't the most personal way to keep friends/family informed, but it was a lot easier emotionally then telling the same story, and breaking down on the phone over and over again.

You'll be missed Billy..

Eriamjh · Jun 29, 2009, 02:32 PM

Done. What happens now?

turtle777 · Jun 29, 2009, 02:45 PM

^^^ Nice

-t

harbinger75 · Jun 29, 2009, 10:03 PM

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

Done. What happens now?

I like what you did there.

Kerrigan · Jun 30, 2009, 12:20 AM

nevermind, lame

[MaC]BoOk[PrO] · Jun 30, 2009, 01:16 AM

I am a HUGE billy mays fan, and really upset that he died. But-check this out Billy mays, Michael Jackson were both 50 when they died, is this a coincidence or a sign of the apocalypse? :O

Big Mac · Jun 30, 2009, 02:31 AM

I don't understand why no one insisted that he go to the hospital for observation, btw. The interview Fox got with him at the airport showed that he was somewhat slurring his speech (to my ear) and that he wasn't as articulate as he normally would have been. I heard that his family reported the same thing later on. I don't mean to fault his family but someone should have gotten him medical treatment.

Chuckit · Jun 30, 2009, 03:04 AM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

I don't understand why no one insisted that he go to the hospital for observation, btw. The interview Fox got with him at the airport showed that he was somewhat slurring his speech (to my ear) and that he wasn't as articulate as he normally would have been. I heard that his family reported the same thing later on. I don't mean to fault his family but someone should have gotten him medical treatment.

Do people usually start slurring their speech before they have a heart attack? Because otherwise it doesn't seem like that would have made much difference.

Big Mac · Jun 30, 2009, 03:28 AM

My line of thinking is that if someone had insisted Billy check into a hospital for a day (remember, this happened less than 24 hours after the plane incident), testing could have revealed heart abnormalities. Alternatively, if he had been hooked up to an EKG in intensive care during that period, when his heart failed he could have been revived, tested and taken in for emergency angioplasty. And we'd still have everyone's favorite Pitch Man.

ShortcutToMoncton · Jun 30, 2009, 07:06 AM

Going a little heavy on the if's over there?

greg

ghporter · Jun 30, 2009, 07:43 AM

Slurred speech is not uncommon after even somewhat minor head trauma. A "bonk" on the noggin is almost always a strong indicator that the person needs at least a neurological screening to rule out real trauma. And while slurring speech is not associated with cardiac problems, someone of Billy's age and physique would almost routinely have been put on an ECG for routine monitoring. Most heart attacks don't just "suddenly happen," there are signs in advance of the actual infarct that can be identified by an emergency room physician.

But the press is using a term that has a less than crystal clear meaning. "Heart attack" can mean a number of things, such as a cardiac artery blocked by a tiny clot, a major cardiac artery completely stopped up by a chunk of vessel lining broken off by inflammation due to atherosclerosis, small tears in cardiac arteries due to a number of causes, or other specific events. Strokes are similarly poorly described-a "stroke" may be due to a blockage, a bleed, one and then the other... each situation has its own causes and effects.

It's quite possible that, after an air trip AND minor trauma, Billy suffered from a pulmonary embolus, and died like a switch was turned off. A pulmonary embolus is a blockage of the pulmonary arteries, the vessels that carry unoxygenated blood to the lungs. They happen when something, usually a loose clot, blocks the pulmonary arteries. Deep vein thromboses, clots in the deep veins, especially of the legs, are fairly common problems associated with air travel-being immobile and stuck in one position for a long period of time, even in first class seats, along with low oxygen content air are key players. Billy just came back from an air trip, had a bump on his head (any sort of minor injury causes a body-wide response that includes increases in clotting speed), and did not get medical attention. Pulmonary embolus is a really strong contender for cause of death.

harbinger75 · Jun 30, 2009, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Do people usually start slurring their speech before they have a heart attack? Because otherwise it doesn't seem like that would have made much difference.

A heart attack? No. Head trauma? Quite possibly. Stroke or diabetic emergencies also cause that.

Big Mac · Jun 30, 2009, 01:28 PM

I'm not saying that slurred speech presaged a heart attack but rather that slurred speech and being less articulate than usual after a traumatic physical event (emergency landing accompanied by an object falling on the head) means he should definitely have been hospitalized for testing and observation.

Chuckit · Jun 30, 2009, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by harbinger75

A heart attack? No. Head trauma? Quite possibly. Stroke or diabetic emergencies also cause that.

The coroner found that there was no head trauma.

harbinger75 · Jun 30, 2009, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

The coroner found that there was no head trauma.

I know, I was only answering the question you posed earlier.

Chongo · Jun 30, 2009, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by Chongo

What is the "official window" for the rule of three anyway?
Jackson, Fawcett, McMahon: The Celebrity Death Rule of Three - Speakeasy - WSJ
David Carradine
Ed McMahon
Farah Fawcett
Michael Jackson
Billy Mays
??????

Fred Travalena is number 6 in less than a week.

ShortcutToMoncton · Jul 2, 2009, 05:30 PM

Rhinestones!

turtle777 · Jul 2, 2009, 05:41 PM

We'll soon be all dead...

... or become celebrities.

-t

Buckaroo · 05:04 PM

With Karl Malden, does this bring it up to 6? This has been a really dead week.

Buckaroo · Jul 6, 2009, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by Chongo

What is the "official window" for the rule of three anyway?
Jackson, Fawcett, McMahon: The Celebrity Death Rule of Three - Speakeasy - WSJ
David Carradine
Ed McMahon
Farah Fawcett
Michael Jackson
Billy Mays
??????

Karl Malden
Robert S. McNamara

Anyone else?

turtle777 · Jul 6, 2009, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

Karl Malden
Robert S. McNamara

Anyone else?

Well, yeah !

-t

::maroma:: · Jul 6, 2009, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

Karl Malden
Robert S. McNamara

Anyone else?

Steve McNair