British comedian and actor Rik Mayall, who found fame in the cult TV series The Young Ones, has died aged 56.
The star, whose portrayal of puerile anarchist Rick in the BBC comedy endeared him to a generation of viewers in the 1980s, became one of Britain's best-known comic actors.
He also appeared in Blackadder alongside Rowan Atkinson, as a cynical Conservative politician in The New Statesman and was reunited with Young Ones co-star Ade Edmondson in Bottom.
The shocking death on Monday has rocked the British entertainment industry and tributes have since flooded in for Mayall, who established himself as a stand-up star in comedy troupe The Comic Strip, a group which also featured his college pal and future professional partner Adrian "Ade" Edmondson, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
He rose to national fame as one of four students sharing a house in hit sitcom The Young Ones in 1982 and went on to enjoy a slew of iconic roles, including as a mean-spirited politician in The New Statesman and an arrogant military officer in Rowan Atkinson's comedy Blackadder.
He also re-teamed with Edmondson to play a pair of hopeless single men in slapstick show Bottom.
Edmondson has issued a statement about the years they spent working together, declaring, "They were some of the most carefree, stupid days I ever had and I feel privileged to have shared them with him."
Mayall's cause of death has yet to be determined but a spokesman for Scotland Yard police reveals paramedics were called to the comedian's house in Barnes, southwest London at 1.20pm local time, when "a man, aged in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene".
His death is not believed to be suspicious.
In 1998, Mayall survived a potentially fatal accident on a quad bike but had been working until recently.
Speaking about the accident last year, Mayall said he had been kept alive on a life-support machine for five days and doctors were considering turning it off when he began to show signs of life.
He said the brush with death changed his life - for years afterwards, he would mark the occasion by exchanging gifts with his wife and three children.
He said: "The main difference between now and before my accident is I'm just very glad to be alive.
"Other people get moody in their 40s and 50s - men get the male menopause. I missed the whole thing. I was just really happy."
In recent years, Mayall had concentrated mainly on voiceover work and TV shorts.
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