increase font size 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 Share 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.