To Drop Dead Fred

Tonight we mourn the loss of British comedian Rik Mayall, star of one of our favourite movies ever…

Yesterday morning the entertainment world was left reeling at the news comedian Rik Mayall had died.?Aged just 56, the cause of death has yet to be discerned. His widow, Barbara Robbin, spoke to the press said, “Maybe he had a fit, maybe it was his heart. We just don’t know.” It has been reported Robbin found his body at home.

Mayall made his mark in sitcoms such as Bottom, The Young Ones and Blackadder. It was his standout role as Alan B’stard, the sociopathic Conservative back bencher who personified Thatcherite Britain, in the political satire The New Statesman that secured his place in the comedy hall of fame. Mayall was a father-of-three and had been working these past few years on television, often appearing as a guest star in productions such as Agatha Christie’s Marple and Jonathan Creek. He was involved in a quad bike accident in 1998 that left him on life support for days and had not been as active career-wise since.

His frequent comedy partner Adrian Edmonson recalled their time together as “some of the most carefree stupid days I ever had, and I feel privileged to have shared them with him. And now he’s died for real. Without me. Selfish b*****d.”

Our favourite Rik Mayall moment has to be his appearance in the cult children’s movie Drop Dead Fred, where he stared opposite Phoebe Cates as her imaginary childhood friend who won’t leave her and her twenties alone. It’s hard to choose just one scene from this childhood classic so we’re leaving you with Mayall ruining Cates? date. Kick back, source teh movie, and raise a glass to Drop Dead Fred.

Jeanne Sutton @jeannedesutun