British Comedy Legend Rik Mayall Dies

A very sad turn of events this morning as news has broken of the passing of iconic British comedian and actor Rik Mayall. He was 56.

According to the ABC, police officers were called to a house in Barnes, in south-west London, a little after 1pm Monday (GMT) where "a man, aged in his 50s" was pronounced dead at the scene. Police do not believe the death was suspicious; a spokesman has promised further information on Mayall's passing when it becomes available.

Mayall was famed for his over-the-top, highly physical, borderline anarchic portrayals of characters such as 'People's Poet' Rick on The Young Ones - of which he was co-creator, and on which he co-starred with long-time comedic partner Adrian 'Ade' Edmondson - tentpole of smooth criminality Alan B'Stard in The New Statesman, the mustachioed womaniser Lord Flashheart in Blackadder Goes Forth, and the titular imaginary friend in the widely maligned cult '90s comedy flick Drop Dead Fred.

He remained in relatively steady work for most of the rest of his life, bar a period in 1998 following a severe motorcycle accident that saw him end up on life support for five days and was said to have changed his life.

A part of the then-fledgling alternative comedy movement in late 1980s Britain, Mayall rose to prominence as a fixture at London's Comedy Store club alongside other noted performers such as Edmondson, Alexi Sayle, and Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.

In true Mayall fashion, however, even as the world mourns his passing, laughter remains as his legacy to the world. When asked in a 2010 interview with the BBC which time-period in London's past, present or future he would like to visit, Mayall responded: "I'd like to go and see my grave. I'd like to see where they bury me and what the bastards say about me.

"What I want written is, 'Here lies the Rik Mayall' with 'the' underlined. And underneath it says, 'it's not true'."

Edmonson, with whom Mayall famously fell out over a failed reunion of their beloved show Bottom, has openly reflected on his dear friend's passing.

"There were times when Rik and I were writing together when we almost died laughing," he said of the news. "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."

Perhaps we should follow the comedians' examples, and not spend too long swaddled in sadness - after all, we have a deep body of Mayall's work by which to remember and celebrate him, and Mayall even (presciently?) provided the narration for a comedy short in September last year titled Don't Fear Death: