Late comedian Rik Mayall, who died suddenly aged 56, was buried yesterday at a private funeral attended by over 100 family, friends and celebrities including Alan Rickman, Dawn French and Ruby Wax.
The ceremony, which took place in Dittisham, Devon, was reportedly filled with cheers and clapping as loved ones recalled Rik's memorable achievements, spirit and sense of humour.
Pall bearer Ade Edmonson, Rik's Bottom co-star, looked emotional as he helped carry the coffin, which was adorned in red roses.
An organ performance of Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade of Pale played as guests entered the church, with Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl playing as they filed out.
Rik's passing has been mourned over the whole world, with family and friends alike paying tribute to his hilarious nature and comedic talent. Comedienne Dawn French said before the ceremony:
"He was honestly one of the funniest people ever. A breathtakingly funny and beautiful guy - [it's] a real tragic loss."
The cause of Rik's death is still unknown, with a post-mortem last week proving inconclusive, though his widow Barbara has referred to an "acute cardiac event" that took place after Rik returned from a morning run.
Barbara has thanked fans for their outpouring of love and support, and said earlier this week:
"Knowing the swell of love you all share with us we would like to let you, the fans, know that we will be having a private family funeral for Rik, as I am sure you will understand."
"We will be burying him at 2pm on Thursday, June 19, if you would like to join us in thoughts and prayer at this time," Barbara continued.
"Thank you again for all your love and support to all our family, it brings great strength."
Following Rik's death, his 2010 World Cup song Noble England made it into the top 10 this weekend, following a social media campaign by fans.
On Friday 13 June 2014, we wrote...The post-mortem results into late comedian Rik Mayall's death have proved "inconclusive", meaning further tests will need to be carried out to discover how the 56-year-old died so suddenly on Monday.
Rik's wife, Barbara, said that the comedian "suffered an acute cardiac event" before his death at home, adding that he had just returned from a morning run.
The death of the star of The Young Ones, Blackadder and Drop Dead Fred has received an outpouring of grief from family, friends and celebrities across the globe, with Barbara adding in a statement:
"We now know that our darling Rik suffered an 'acute cardiac event' at our home around midday on June 9th.
"He had just returned from his usual run and many people had seen him that morning."
She thanked the public and the press "for their discretion at this time and for all the wonderful coverage that you have given Rik - it would have made him very happy".
She added, "We always knew that Rik was well loved but we are all overwhelmed by so many joining us in our grief."
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
On Wednesday 11 June 2014, we wrote...Tributes continue to pour in for the late comedian Rik Mayall, who died on Monday at the age of 56. The latest message comes from his youngest daughter, 18-year-old Bonnie Mayall, who is reportedly in the middle of her A Levels.
Posting a treasured photograph on Facebook, she paid tribute to her father the "legend", writing of how he was loved "not only by my family, but by many many others".
"We will never forget him and neither will the world," she wrote. "R.I.P to the man, the myth, the legend - my wonderful, generous, foul mouthed and hysterical father.
The heartbreaking tribute continued: "My idol now and forever… We love you daddy."
The cause of Rik's untimely death at his home in London is still unknown, with his wife Barbara saying:
"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." The Young Ones and Blackadder star has seen a stream of tributes flooding in not only from family, but from celebrities such as Caitlin Moran, Stephen Fry and David Walliams, who took to Twitter to lament his passing.
On Tuesday 10 June, we wrote...Following the untimely death of Rik Mayall yesterday, celebrities have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to the 56-year-old comedian. From Ade Edmondson to David Walliams, Chris O'Dowd to James Buckley.
Mayall's writing partner, close friend and co-star in The Young Ones and Bottom, Ade Edmondson, led the tributes in a statement:
"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. And now he's died for real. Without me. Selfish bastard."
Read more of the touching celebrity tributes to Rik Mayall...
David Walliams
Sheridan Smith
Kimberley Walsh
Stephen Fry
Johnny Vegas
Sarah Millican
Zoe Ball
Gizzie Erskine
Chris O'Dowd
Lauren Laverne
Rylan Clark
Dawn O'Porter
Caitlin Moran
Noel Fielding
Peter Andre
James Buckley
Yesterday, we wrote...The British comedian and actor Rik Mayall has died at 56-years-old, according to his manager.
The hilarious funnyman became a household name back in the anarchic sitcom The Young Ones alongside his real-life best friend, fellow comedian Adrian Edmonson.
The duo later went on to star in Bottom and Rik Mayall was also known for appearances in shows including Blackadder andJonathon Creek.
The reason for his death is not yet known.
He was left seriously ill after a quad bike accident in 1998 which left him in a coma for several days. Making light of the accident, he told The Mirror:
"I beat Jesus Christ," he laughs. "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."
RIP Rik Mayall.
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