The Young Ones comedian and actor Rik Mayall dies aged 56

BRITISH actor and comedian Rik Mayall, who found fame in the cult series The Young Ones, has died aged 56.

The star, whose portrayal of puerile anarchist Rick in the BBC comedy endeared him to a generation of viewers in the 1980s, became one of Britain’s best-known comic actors.

While police are investigating the cause of his shock death, his wife Barbara Robbin said he may have had a fit.

“We don’t know yet what happened. He had a strong heart, so I don’t think it was a heart attack.

“But we just don’t know until the coroner’s report,” Robbin told The Telegraph, outside the couple’s home in Barnes, south-west London.

“Maybe he had a fit, maybe it was his heart. We just don’t know.”

Robbin reportedly found the body of Mayall, who she married in 1985.

Police said the death is not suspicious.

In 1998, Mayall survived a potentially fatal accident on a quad bike but had been working until recently.

The accident put him in a coma for five days and left him suffering from epilepsy.

Speaking about the accident last year, Mayall said he had been kept alive on a life support machine for five days and doctors were considering turning it off when he began to show signs of life.

He said the brush with death changed his life — for years afterwards, he would mark the occasion by exchanging gifts with his wife and three children Rosie, Sidney and Bonnie.

“The main difference between now and before my accident is I’m just very glad to be alive,” he said.

“Other people get moody in their 40s and 50s — men get the male menopause. I missed the whole thing. I was just really happy.” 

Mayall, who was born in Harlow, Essex, to drama teacher parents, was a key member of the Comic Strip gang along with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.

He became known as the People’s Poet for his stellar performances in Blackadder alongside Rowan Atkinson, as a cynical politician in The New Statesman and was reunited with Young Ones co-star Adrian Edmondson in Bottom .

Celebrities, writers and fans have paid tribute to the comic genius, with his long-time comedy partner Adrian Edmonson leading the honours.

“There were times when Rik and I were writing together when we almost died laughing,” he said.

“They were some of the most carefree stupid days I ever had, and I feel privileged to have shared them with him. And now he’s died for real. Without me. Selfish bastard.”


Memorable quotes from Rik Mayall throughout his career

Blackadder producer John Lloyd said Mayall was “just extraordinary”.

“It’s really a dreadful piece of news,” he told the BBC. 

“I remember going to the very first night of the Comedy Store (club in London) and thinking ‘Where does this come from?’.

“It was the most extraordinary thing, him and Ade Edmondson doing the Dangerous Brothers, they were called, and you just felt you were in the presence of something, a whole revolutionary thing.”

Little Britain star David Walliams said: “I am heartbroken that my comedy idol growing up, Rik Mayall, has died. He made me want to be a comedian.

BBC director of television Danny Cohen said Mayall was “a truly brilliant comedian”.

“His comic timing was outstanding and his screen presence unique. For a generation of viewers he was a true comedy hero.”


Rik with The Young Ones cast members (from left: Nigel Planer, Rik Mayall, Christopher Ryan and Adrian Edmonson)

Writer and comedian Ben Elton said he met Mayall at 18 and went to university with him. 

“I owe him so much. He changed my life utterly when he asked me to co-write The Young Ones with him, and he was with me on the day I met my wife,” he said.

“He always made me cry with laughter. Now he’s just made me cry.”

Mayall’s The Young Ones co-star Nigel Planer said he was “very, very sad and upset that we’ve lost Rik, who was inspirational, bonkers, and a great life force.”

He described Mayall as “a brilliant comedian and someone who made everyone else’s lives more fun. He will be really, really missed”.

Cliff Richard & The Young Ones - Living Doll (1986) 

source article: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/the-young-ones-...