British comedian Rik Mayall, best known for his sociology studying anarchist character 'Rick' on the sitcom The Young Ones, died today from long term complications resulting from a 1998 ATV accident which had left the comedian in a coma for several days, he was 56.

**Update** The cause of death turns out to actually be a heart attack after Mayall had completed his morning run and not due to complications from the ATV accident as was initially reported by several news outlets.

The Young Ones was a British sitcom, which was broadcast in Great Britain from 1982 to 1984 in two six-part series. Shown on BBC2, it featured anarchic, offbeat humor which helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980's and made household names of its writers and performers. In 1985, it was shown on MTV, one of the first non-music television shows on the fledgling channel.

MTV brought the Young Ones "across the pong" when they picked up the series in 1985, showing the sitcom as one of the first non-music shows to be featured on the greenhorn station.

Mayall also starred in the 1991 fantasy cult comedy 'Drop Dead Fred' which the comedian portrays a pretty similar character to that in the Young Ones.

According to RTE, Myall, speaking about the accident last year, 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.


NSFW - some off-color language

He said: "The main difference between now and before my accident is I'm just very glad to be alive.

Mayall leaves behind a wife and three children.