Rik Mayall

Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall (7 July 1950 – 9 June 2014) was a British comedian and actor and writer of comedy. He starred in many sitcoms, including "Man Down","The Young Ones", "Blackadder", "Filthy Rich and Catflap", "The New Statesman" and "Bottom". He also starred in the movies "Eye of the Needle" (1981), "Drop Dead Fred" (1991) and "Guest House Paradiso" (1999). He also won an Emmy Award in 1997 for "The Willows in Winter" (1995).
Mayall was born in Harlow, Essex. When he was three, he moved to Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire. He studied drama at the University of Manchester. He had a relationship with writer Lise Mayer in the early 1980s. He was married to Scottish make-up artist, Barbara Robbin from 1985 until his death. The couple had two daughters and a son together. His autobiography was published in 2005.
On 9 April 1990, Mayall was injured in a quad bike accident near his home in Devon. After waking up from a coma and having operations, he made a full recovery but was left with epilepsy.
Mayall died from a heart attack after a morning run on 9 June 2014 at his home in Barnes, London. He was 56.