Rik Mayall dies aged 56

Rik Mayall, the comedian and star of The Young Ones, has died aged 56.

A spokesman for Mayall’s management company said that he died at home this morning. The cause of death has not been released.

Roger Davidson, of Brunskill Management, said: "It is a terrible shock. All we know at this stage is that Rik died at home.

"We are all deeply saddened by this news, from the enormous number of fans Rik had to those who worked with him and knew him as a man as well as a fine actor.

"He touched many lives, and always for the better."

A Scotland Yard spokesman said officers were called by London Ambulance Service to a house in Barnes, south-west London, at 1.20pm were "a man, aged in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene". The death is not believed to be suspicious, he added.

The comedian appeared as Rick in The Young Ones, Lord Flashheart in Blackadder, Alan B'Stard in The New Statesman and Richie in Bottom, and had a long-running partnership with Ade Edmondson. He was part of the Comic Strip Presents team, which also included Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French and Alexei Sayle.

In 1998, he survived a near-fatal quad bike accident at his farmhouse in Devon, suffering a fractured skull and two brain haemorrhages. The accident left him with epilepsy for which he took medication.

He was on life support for five days and doctors were close to turning it off before he suddenly showed signs of life.

Mayall once joked: "I beat Jesus Christ," he said. “He was dead for three days at Easter.

"When I crashed it was the day before Good Friday, Crap Thursday, and I was technically dead until Easter Monday – that’s five days.

“Jesus was nailed up on Friday and came to on Easter Day. I beat him 5-3.”

The father-of-three recovered and returned to work, appearing in last year's Channel 4 sitcom Man Down and in the BBC series Jonathan Creek.

Among those paying tribute to Mayall was David Walliams, who said: "I am heartbroken that my comedy idol growing up, Rik Mayall, has died. He made me want to be a comedian."

Impressionist Rory Bremner tweeted: "Oh no. Awful news about Rik Mayall - a fireball of creative comic energy and inspiration. Such brilliant raw talent."

Actress Helen Lederer, who appeared in The Young Ones, tweeted: "Rik Mayall, I loved you. Gutted. The man who taught me not to crash laughs, has crashed. Real love to wife, children. Massive loss."

Comedy star Noel Fielding wrote: "Growing up there was no-one funnier! We will really miss you Rik Mayall you genius."

Trainspotting writer Irvine Welsh wrote: "Rik Mayall spread a lot of fun and laughter. Very sad to see him taken before his time."

Actor David Harewood said: "RIP Rick Mayall. Great comedian and actor. Funny, brilliant and sharp as nails."

Blackadder producer John Lloyd said Mayall was "just extraordinary".

Speaking to BBC News, he said: "It's really a dreadful piece of news.

"I remember going to the very first night of the Comedy Store 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."

Ade Edmondson pays tribute to comedy partner Rik Mayall

Ade Edmondson has paid tribute to his comedy partner Rik Mayall, who died yesterday (June 9).

Mayall was confirmed dead at his home in London he actor is best known for his role as Rick in The Young Ones while he also appeared in Blackadder, The New Statesman and created the hit sit-com Bottom with Edmondson.

The comedy actor issued a statement following the news of Mayall's death, saying: "There were times when Rik and I were writing together when we almost died laughing. They were some of the most carefree, stupid days I ever had, and I feel privileged to have shared them with him.

He ended the statement by saying, "And now he's died for real. Without me. Selfish bastard."

Meanwhile, Mayall's wife has said that she still does not not know what killed her husband. Speaking to Evening Standard reporters outside her home in London, Barbara Robbin said: "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. Maybe he had a fit, maybe it was his heart. We just don't know."

A Scotland Yard spokesman said that Mayall's death is not being treated as suspicious.

Rik Mayall's wife claims 'acute cardiac event' killed comedy actor

Rik Mayall's wife has claimed that her husband died following a routine morning run.

Barbara Robbins said that the comedy actor "suffered an acute cardiac event" on Monday (June 9). Her comments followed the results of a coroner's report earlier today which came back inconclusive. Further tests will be required to establish the official cause of death.

In a statement given to BBC News, Robbins said: "We now know that our darling Rik suffered an 'acute cardiac event' at our home around midday on June 9. He had just returned from his usual run and many people had seen him that morning."

Meanwhile, Mayall's daughter Bonnie spoke about her father in an emotional Facebook post in which she paid tribuet to her a man she described as "generous, foul-mouthed and hysterical father."

"My dad was loved not only by my family, but by many many others. We will never forget him and neither will the world," she wrote. "RIP to the man, the myth, the legend. My idol now and forever. We love you daddy."