Billy Mays's 'death cocaine-related'

An autopsy performed on US pitchman Billy Mays has shown that cocaine use contributed to his death.

The 50-year-old 'king of infomercials' and co-host of The Discovery Channel's Pitchmen series was found dead in his Tampa, Florida home in June from a heart attack, which is still listed as the principal cause of death.

However, a post mortem performed on Mays showed that he used cocaine a few days prior to his June 28 passing, TV Guide reports.

The Hillsborough County medical examiner has released a statement saying that "cocaine use caused or contributed to the development of his heart disease, and thereby contributed to his death".

Toxicology reports also showed traces of prescription drugs hydrocodone, oxycodone and tramadol, as well as anti-anxiety drugs alprazolam and diazepam.

Mays, who was scheduled to have hip replacement surgery on June 29, was best known for selling the cleaning products OxiClean and Orange Glo during his late-night infomercials.