Product Pitchman Mays Remembered as Natural Seller

Mourners attending visitation for pitchman Billy Mays walk past a sign at the funeral home in his hometown, the Pittsburgh suburb of McKees Rocks, Pa., Thursday, July 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

(AP)

"Billy had an amazing way of just making you believe that everything he said was true," Wilson said Friday. "He didn't sell you, he told you."

The likable personality Mays presented on TV viewers existed in real life, too, Wilson said.

"As great as a pitch man Billy was, he was an even better man and an even better individual," he said.

Outside the funeral, a company owned by fellow "Pitchmen" star Anthony Sullivan handed out the shiny stickers bearing a caricature of Mays' face.

Mays hawked everything from the Wash-matik, a device for pumping water from a bucket to wash cars, to Orange Glo, an environmentally friendly cleaner. Sporting a jet-black beard and coupling high-energy demonstrations with booming pitches, Mays always seemed ready to jump off the screen.

Joanne Barthurst's son graduated from high school with Mays and she watched the funeral procession from her porch across the street. She said Mays' strong ties to his hometown are what made him great. He remained Everyman, even though he was one of the most visible people in the country.

"Watching him on TV and everything like that, his infomercials and stuff, even though he wasn't around you still felt like you had some ties because he was a McKees Rocks boy," she said.

Mays is believed to have died of a heart attack in his sleep June 28 at his home in Tampa, Fla., but further tests are needed to be sure of the cause of death.

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