1. Mayall gained a formidable reputation at The Comedy Store, a comedy club in London, in the 1980s.
His popularity led to a regular slot for one of his characters, Kevin Turvey, on A Kick Up the Eighties, a BBC sketch show first broadcast in 1981.
2. The Young Ones was commissioned and first broadcast in 1982.
He played the pompous wannabe anarchist Rick...
...who was a big fan of Cliff Richard.
3. He had also formed a long-term comedic partnership with Adrian Edmonson. Here they are on Saturday Live in December 1985.
4. In 1986, Mayall played Lord Flashheart in the Blackadder II episode entitled "Bells".
A descendant of this character, Squadron Commander Flashheart, was in the Blackadder Goes Forth episode "Private Plane".
He saved Blackadder from the Germans. And knocked him out.
5. Mayall played fictional Conservative MP Alan Beresford B'Stard in the sitcom The New Statesman, written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, which aired in 1987.
It was a satire of Conservative politicians in the 1980s and 90s.
6. In 1991, he appeared with Edmondson in the West End production of Beckett's Waiting for Godot at the Queen's Theatre.
They starred as Richie and Eddie, two flatmates who live on the dole in Hammersmith, London.
It was chaotic, over-the-top and unashamedly slapstick.
7. In 1991 he starred alongside Phoebe Cates in Drop Dead Fred as a troublesome imaginary friend.
8. His 2006 autobiography had a fabulous title.
9. And his Twitter account only had one tweet but was, needless to say, marvellous.
Opening my very own Twitter to stop another bastard from doing it. So fuck off & don't expect to hear from me any time soon. Love Rik x
Here's a quiz: Which Rik Mayall character said it?