Ron Popeil, inventor and king of TV pitchmen, dies at 86
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Ron Popeil, inventor and king of TV pitchmen, dies at 86
He was known to generations of viewers for hawking products such as the Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman and Mr. Microphone.
By ANDREW DALTON and TED ANTHONYAssociated Press
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Ron Popeil, the man behind those late-night, rapid-fire television commercials that sold everything from Mr. Microphone to the Pocket Fisherman to the classic Veg-O-Matic, is surrounded by his wares in 1982 at his office in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Reed Saxon/Associated Press, file
LOS ANGELES Ron Popeil, the quintessential TV pitchman and inventor known to generations of viewers for hawking products including the Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Showtime Rotisserie and BBQ, has died, his family said.
Ron Popeil has died. The inventor of the Showtime Rotisserie and Pocket Fisherman was 86.
His family tells TMZthat Popeil died Wednesday morning at L.A.’s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering a medical emergency.
Ron was just as well known for his catchphrases “Set it and forget it” and the iconic “But wait, there’s more!”
Ron created the concept of the infomercial. In the early 1950s, he and a partner produced a minute-long, black-andwhite commercial for $500, according to his official site.
Among Ron s inventions, some of which can be seen in the Smithsonian Museum, are Mr. Microphone (the first Karaoke machine), the Popeil Pocket Fisherman, the Smokeless Ashtray and GLH-9 (Great Looking Hair Formula #9) Hair in a Can Spray.
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TV pitchman Popeil dies at 86
Veg-O-Matic, Pocket Fisherman among gadgets he hawked
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ANDREW DALTON AND TED ANTHONY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Ron Popeil, founder of Ronco Industries, poses with some of his products in the kitchen of his Los Angeles home in March 1999.
(Chicago Tribune/TNS/David McNew)
LOS ANGELES Ron Popeil, the quintessential TV pitchman and inventor known to generations of viewers for hawking products including the Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Showtime Rotisserie and BBQ, has died, his family said.
Popeil died suddenly and peacefully Wednesday at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his family said in a statement. He was 86. No cause of death was given.
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