Ron Popeil, the inventor and infomercial icon whose kitchen and direct-to-consumer products generated billions of dollars in U.S. sales, died at age 86, his spokesperson says.
Ronco's Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ, and Popeil's late-night infomercials pitching it, helped inscribe the phrase "set it and forget it" into the American lexicon.July 29, 2021, 2:57 AM UTCRon Popeil, the inventor and infomercial icon whose kitchen and direct-to-consumer products generated billions of dollars in U.S. sales, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 86.
Popeil"lived his life to the fullest and passed in the loving arms of his family," a statement from his spokesperson said.Popeil first appeared on television in 1959 in an infomercial for the Chop-o-Matic, and his company, Ronco, founded by his father, eventually went on to produce products including Hair in a Can and Pocket Fisherman.
But Ronco's Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ, and Popeil's ubiquitous late-night infomercials pitching it, helped inscribe the phrase"set it and forget it" into the American lexicon.Popeil promised consumers they could make"thousands and thousands" of types of pasta with his machine"in under 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.Tim Fitzsimons is a reporter for NBC News. he/him
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