Star of so many commercials from our childhoods, infomercial innovator Ron Popiel suddenly, and peacefully, passed away at age 86.
Rest in peace, Ron.
CNN:
In 1959 he appeared in his first TV commercial, hawking the Ronco Chop-o-Matic food dicer. Debuting the earnestly dramatic style that became his trademark, Popeil said, "I'm going to show you the greatest kitchen appliance ever made."
Popeil followed with a flurry of other made-for-TV inventions, dizzying in both their number and variety. They included the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Electric Food Dehydrator. Popeil said he was not just a salesman, but also an inventor who designed many of the products himself.
Although his company Ronco was already a household name in the 1970s, Popeil's fame exploded in the 80s when looser federal regulations on TV ads allowed him to go from brief commercials to 30-minute self-contained "infomercials," which soon dominated late night and weekend schedules.
