Rik Mayall

Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English comedian, actor and writer. Mayall formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University, and became a pioneer of alternative comedy in the 1980s. Mayall starred in numerous cult classic sitcoms throughout his career, including The Young Ones, The Comic Strip Presents..., Blackadder, Filthy Rich & Catflap, The New Statesman, and Bottom. Mayall also starred in the comedy films Drop Dead Fred and Guest House Paradiso, and won a Primetime Emmy Award for his voice-over work in The Willows in Winter. His comedic style was described as energetic "post-punk". In later life, Mayall struggled with depression and insecurities. In 1998, Mayall suffered a serious head injury in a quad bike accident near his Devon home, and was later in a coma for several days until his recovery. Mayall died from an acute cardiac event in 2014. In his legacy, Mayall was described by BBC Television director Danny Cohen as a "truly brilliant" comedian with a unique stage presence, whose "fireball creativity" and approach to sitcom had inspired a generation of comedy stars.