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XHeart and Circulatory System The Associated Press

4:40 PM EDT, August 7, 2009
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TAMPA, Fla. - An autopsy report says cocaine contributed to the death of TV pitchman Billy Mays.

The 50-year bearded TV personality died of a heart attack in his sleep. His wife found him unresponsive June 28 at their condo in Tampa, Fla.

A release from the Hillsborough County medical examiner's office Friday said Mays had last used cocaine days before his death.

The report said that although Mays died from heart disease, cocaine use was a contributing cause of death.




Autopsy: Cocaine a Factor in Billy Mays' Death
Posted Aug 7th 2009 4:33PM by TMZ Staff

A mighty shocking autopsy report concludes cocaine contributed to the sudden death of pitchman Billy Mays back in June.

The report, which was released today, lists "cocaine use" as a contributing cause of death -- along with hypertensive and arteriosclerotic heart disease.

A Hillsborough County press release says "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."

Mays died in his sleep on June 28 at his home in Florida.

UPDATE: Official documents show the following drugs were in Mays' system -- hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (painkiller), alprazolam (Xanax), nordiazepam (Valium), benzoylecgonine (byproduct of cocaine) and temazepam (anti-anxiety). Ethanol -- alcohol -- was also in Mays' system.
[Edited 8/7/09 14:28pm]

no wonder he was so hyped!

i'm surprised they didn't find any oxyclean in his system.

But really, they shouldn't release this kind of stuff publicly.

judging by his autopsy, he was waaay more than a cokehead, he was an all-star

sinisterpentatonic said:

That's what I just said to Chris. It sucks that the whole world, including his kids, now knows his dirty secrets - only because he's dead. It just seems fucked up.

sinisterpentatonic said:

"It's a helluva drug!"

uPtoWnNY said:

So are Vicodin, Percocet, Valium, Xanax and alcohol, apparently.

let the denials/excuses begin:

Billy Mays' widow is "extremely disappointed" with the Hillsborough County medical examiner's office -- accusing them of sending out a "speculative" report that's damaging her husband's image.

Moments ago, Deborah Mays released the following statement:

"We are extremely disappointed by the press release released by the Hillsborough County medical examiner's office. We believe it 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."


"As those who were close to Billy knew, he had been in chronic pain for more than two years and was about to have his third hip surgery in 18 months. His use of prescription pain medication for his hip condition was guided by his physician and was at recommended usage levels. 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."
[Edited 8/7/09 16:16pm]

you mean he had presciptions for all those drugs but nothing for high blood pressure?

get the fuck outta here....

was his doctor Conrad Murray?

WOW..... he looked so wholesome. I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover.

Not surprised.