Cocaine Contributed to Billy Mays' Death

[Bankshot]

http://www.mercurynews.com/celebrities/ci_13016062

TAMPA, Fla.—An autopsy report shows that cocaine use contributed to the heart disease that suddenly killed TV pitchman Billy Mays in June, officials announced Friday.

The Hillsborough County medical examiner's office previously determined that the bearded, boisterous TV spokesman had a heart attack in his sleep. His wife found him unresponsive in bed in their Tampa condo June 28.

Mays was a pop-culture fixture with his energetic commercials pitching gadgets and cleaning products like Orange Glo and OxiClean.

While heart disease was the primary cause of death, a report released Friday by the medical examiner listed cocaine as a "contributory cause of death."

[BrickJames]

Wow this is pretty ridiculous.  He is a plane with a crash landing 8 hours earlier, gets dinged in the head, and they conclude that had nothing to do with his death, but somehow coke 'contributed' to it.

I call shenanigans, for a number of reasons.  One more reason to hate airline corporations.

[Spilling Green Dye]

Wow this is pretty ridiculous.  He is a plane with a crash landing 8 hours earlier, gets dinged in the head, and they conclude that had nothing to do with his death, but somehow coke 'contributed' to it.

I call shenanigans, for a number of reasons.  One more reason to hate airline corporations.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's cocaine.  I live in Tampa and I know way too many people, of multiple ages, who use cocaine regularly.  I myself have never touched it, nor would I, but I've seen people less likely than Billy May's do it. 

[BrickJames]

Without getting into my past, I have never ever heard of cocaine degenerating someone's heart over time so that they die in their sleep.

My point is that how can they rule out the plane crash and the overhead bin stuff hitting him in the head, yet claim cocaine may have contributed to a heart condition.

Sounds a little far fetched, don't you think?

[BrickJames]

"concluded that cocaine use caused or contributed to the development of his heart disease, and thereby contributed to his death"

this is BS, I'm sorry.  Sounds like an insurance company or airline lawyer paid this guy off.

[Celtic]

Maybe that's what the oxyclean powder is, how else could it work such stain reducing miracles.

[Eja117]

Maybe that's what the oxyclean powder is, how else could it work such stain reducing miracles.

So maybe snorting Oxyclean led to his death. It sure was a lot cheaper than I would think cocaine would be

[Eja117]

Without getting into my past, I have never ever heard of cocaine degenerating someone's heart over time so that they die in their sleep.

My point is that how can they rule out the plane crash and the overhead bin stuff hitting him in the head, yet claim cocaine may have contributed to a heart condition.

Sounds a little far fetched, don't you think?

I don't know. If someone said to me "What do you think would be more likely to kill a guy, a bump on the head 8 hours later, or coke" I guess I'd say coke

[BrickJames]

You can OD on coke.  But for them to claim that coke "caused or contributed to a heart disease", and thus his death, is beyond nonsensical, especially given they think cranial trauma was not possible.

I mean really

[Eja117]

I thought coke, being a stimulant, can over-stimulate a heart and over time damage it. Can't a guy essentially do a long term OD?

I would just think if over a long period of time you take a lot of coke, but not quite enough to ever OD your heart might be in tough shape

[angryguy77]

cocain affects the heart so I could buy this. Just wonder if they put the coffine together with Mighty Putty?

[Fafnir]

I thought coke, being a stimulant, can over-stimulate a heart and over time damage it. Can't a guy essentially do a long term OD?

I would just think if over a long period of time you take a lot of coke, but not quite enough to ever OD your heart might be in tough shape

Exactly, stimulant abuse puts a lot of strain on your heart.

If he was obese that'd also be listed as a contributing factor.

[the_Bird]

Isn't this the same conversation people were having with regard to Reggie's death? 

Claiming (don't think it was ever proven) that Reggie had done coke and that this had weakened his heart, even though it wasn't the direct cause of his death.  The controversy was whether or not Reggie had used; it's pretty well-established, medically, that cocaine use can cause severe long-term damage to someone's heart.

Remember, there were other painkillers/anxiety drugs in his system as well. 

But, go ahead and believe that the bump in the head was the problem.  The fatality rate for getting a knock in the noggin is SO MUCH higher than for abusing cocaine. 

[EJPLAYA]

Very sad no matter what the effect on the heart was. I lost some respect for the guy right there.

[Champzilla]

Guy was a gangster.