The New Billy Mays Scholarship

Last week, Hollywood was rocked by the unexpected deaths of Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and Ed MacMahon. All were legends in their own right — but in a strange, ironic occurrence, the industry was socked a fourth time over the weekend with the death of Billy Mays, the boisterous pitchman from the infamous OxiClean informercials.

As co-star along with Anthony Sullivan in the Discovery Channel reality series Pitchmen, Mays became synonymous with “As Seen On TV” products for the entire direct response industry. The TV salesman known for his brawny all-American look and loud delivery died suddenly in his sleep on Sunday, with reports linking his death to heart disease.

On Monday, the Direct Response Marketing Alliance (thedrma.com) announced they have established The Billy Mays Memorial Scholarship to be awarded to students demonstrating outstanding scholastic achievement and commitment to the pursuit of a career in marketing. “Although we are still in shock over the loss of Billy, his memory will remain to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs as they enter a new phase in their lives,” said John Yarrington, publisher of Response Magazine and executive director of the DRMA. The scholarship will launch in July, and the magazine’s July issue will also feature an eight-page tribute to Billy and his timeless contributions to the industry.

Now, I’m not going to compare Mays to Michael Jackson — but his direct response TV campaigns for Orange Glo and numerous other products ranked him among TV’s most famous infomercial luminaries and he raked in millions. You have to hand it to the guy, he is one of — if not the most — memorable pitchman in recent history, and he even spun his notoriety into what would have become a burgeoning television career. This guy took his job pretty seriously, so here’s to Billy!

Here's a look at his hilarious appearance earlier this year on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno: