The comedian and actor Rik Mayall has died, his management firm has announced.
The star, who shot to fame playing Rick in The Young Ones, was 56 and his career included appearances in shows such as Blackadder, Bottom and The New Statesman.
He became seriously ill after a quad bike accident in 1998 which left him in a coma for several days, but was working until recently.
He died on Monday morning.
His first and last tweet in 2010 sums up his anarchic spirit.
Opening my very own Twitter to stop another bastard from doing it. So fuck off & don’t expect to hear from me any time soon. Love Rik x
— Rik Mayall (@rikmayall) April 13, 2010
