Actor Rik Mayall in 2004 Comedian and actor Rik Mayall died this morning, aged 56.
Mayall starred in numerous sitcoms including The Young Ones, Blackadder, The New Statesman and Bottom and the big screen in comedy films Drop Dead Fred and Guest House Paradiso.
Brunskill Management announced their client's death earlier on today. The comic met wife Barbara, a make-up artist, while working on a show for BBC Scotland.
She quickly became pregnant with their eldest daughter Rosie, now 27, and, after they got married in Barbados, they went on to have Sid, 25 and Bonnie, 20.
Ade Edmondson Bottom stage show Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson Royal Centre Nottingham
Mayall is best known for his partnership in the 1980s with Ade Edmondson.
The pair were best friends since meeting at university 38 years ago but sadly had a bust up two years ago,.
In an interview last year with the Daily Mirror, Mayall revealed the problem arose after they were commissioned to bring back their 90s slapstick comedy Bottom for a new series on BBC2.
A spin-off called Hooligan’s Island featuring the same hopeless characters, Richie and Eddie, was all written and due to begin filming when Ade, 56, got cold feet and scrapped the entire project.
Rik shrugs: “I thought it would be fun and Ade thought it would be fun but then he had a change of heart. It’s a shame.
"Of course, I f***ing tried to persuade him to change his mind. But if he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t want to.”