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Ron Popeil, the inventor and infomercial icon whose kitchen and direct-to-consumer products have generated billions of dollars in sales in the United States, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 86 years old.
Popeil “has lived his life to the fullest and passed into the loving arms of his family,” said his spokesperson.
No cause of death was provided.
Popeil first appeared on television in 1959 in an infomercial for the Chop-o-Matic, and his company, Ronco, founded by his father, eventually produced products such as Hair in a Can and Pocket Fisherman.
But Ronco’s Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ, and Popeil’s ubiquitous late-night infomercials, helped put the phrase “set it and forget it” into the American lexicon.
In an infomercial, Popeil presents his automatic pasta machine with characteristic enthusiasm:
Popeil promised consumers that they could make “thousands and thousands” of types of pasta with his machine “in less than three minutes.”
His company also produced the Rhinestone Stud Setter, now known as the Bedazzler, as well as the Mr. Microphone karaoke machine, the Smokeless Ashtray, and the Inside-the-Eggshell Egg Scrambler.
He is survived by his wife, four daughters and four grandchildren.
Reuters, Variety and Diane dasrath contributed.
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