A generation of Americans grew up watching his madcap performances on such shows as The Young Ones and The Comic Strip. Like a lot of English comedians (including Steve Coogan), Mayall's career never quite got proper traction in the United States, his big-screen film, 1991's Drop Dead Fred, has only a 9 percent fresh rating on rottentomatoes.com.
Mayall, however, will always live on as Rik, the manic, pretentious, lefty poseur character he played in The Young Ones. As the old adage goes, "Leave them laughing."
