Comedian and actor Rik Mayall died this morning, his management firm said.

The star, who shot to fame playing Rick in The Young Ones, was 56 and his career included appearances in shows including Blackadder, Bottom and The New Statesman.

He was left seriously ill after a quad bike accident in 1998 which left him in a coma for several days, but was working until recently.

Speaking about the accident last year, Mayall said doctors had kept him alive on a life-support machine for five days and were about to turn it off when he began to show signs of life.

He used to mark the occasion by exchanging presents with his wife and children and said the near-death experience changed his life.

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 forties and fifties - men get the male menopause. I missed the whole thing. I was just really happy."

Mayall, who was born in Harlow, Essex, to drama teacher parents, also appeared in shows including Filthy, Rich and Catflap.

Other notable characters included the conniving Conservative MP Alan B'Stard in The New Statesman and the feckless investigative journalist Kevin Turvey.

Mayall started on stage in a duo, The Dangerous Brothers, with long-time collaborator Adrian Edmondson after they met at Manchester University.

Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson starred in The Young Ones and Bottom
Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson starred in The Young Ones and Bottom

The pair, who appeared together in The Young Ones, reprised their original act in the anarchic comedy Bottom.

BBC director of television Danny Cohen said: "Rik Mayall was a truly brilliant comedian.

"His comic timing was outstanding and his screen presence unique. For a generation of viewers he was a true comedy hero."

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

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."

Mayall's spokeswoman confirmed that the actor, who was married with three children, died at home in London.

From Lord Flasheart to Alan B'Stard, Rik Mayall played some of the best comedy characters of the last 35 years - click here to read and watch some of his funniest lines

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