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It was a little more than 24 hours ago now, that I heard of the sad passing of Rik Mayall. I'm stating the obvious when I say, I didn't know him personally. Nor did I know anyone else who knew him personally, but he has been in my consciousness for over a decade now, and he and the many wonderful comedic roles he has played are part of the tapestry of people, places and things that make up my interests and who I am as a result of them.
Rik was a larger than life in your face caricature the majority of his public life and love it or hate it he was impossible to deny. Whenever he graced our screens, (be they big or small) eyes were on him. He made it impossible to look away. His style of comedy is what I like to think of as unapologetic ego. He was loud. He was silly. He was wonderful. I'm particularly fond of any work he did with his partner in entertainment crime, Ade Edmondson, but Rik was the kind of actor that I was always pleased to see pop up, especially when I wasn't expecting him.
Rik will obviously be missed by the family and friends he left behind but it's a testament to his legacy, the amount of people who knew him only as The People's Poet, Lord Flashheart, Richie Richard or Drop Dead Fred that will feel his loss as well.
Goodbye Rik. The world may have lost you in body but we promise to hang on to your work as long as we can.
-Lesley
xxx
