Death of a salesman

It's hard to believe we'll never hear these words again: "HI! BILLY MAYS HERE FOR (insert product here)," as the world's most recognizable salesman has died at age 50.

I'll be honest: The first time I watched Billy hawk OxiClean years ago, I thought he was just a black-bearded, blue shirt-wearing loud mouth yelling about some more overpriced garbage. A few months ago, though, I started watching "Pitchmen," the Discovery Channel's weekly show which showcases Mays and Anthony Sullivan take products from inventors' sketchboards to market on TV across the country. With this seek behind the scenes, you can really see the Billy Mays behind "BILLY MAYS!" Not only did he care about making money from the products, but he also cared about the people who put their time, effort and — in many times — life's fortune into developing. In a recent episode of "Pitchmen," we even saw Billy as a family man, nurturing his young daughter. The show is a great glimpse into both Billy and the industry he dominated.

Check out more about "Pitchmen" and Billy by going here, and don't forget the man behind the beard.