I've Lost My Comedian

Rik Mayall died today, I expect you know that already and lots of people are saying that he was the reason that comedy is what it is today. They're right.
When I heard the bad news I cried. Not wailing and bawling cried but, wiping away the tears cried. You see, Rik was my comedian, he was my teacher of funny, he was the man who, with Ade Edmonson, let me know that television can be more than news and boring "grown up" programmes.
The Dangerous Brothers was the first thing that I saw them both in, and boy, was it wild. I'd never seen anarchy before. I'd seen chaos (Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy) but I'd never seen anything so irresponsibly hilarious that I had tears (the spirit raising kind) and something to talk about in the playground the next day.
I watched The Young Ones, I watched Filthy Rich And Catflap, Blackadder, The New Statesman, Bottom. I watched Drop Dead Fred and most recently, Man Down. There is so much I cant remember right now, so many other appearances. I watched them all, I laughed at them all whether serious or not, more and more with each appearance as the memories flooded back from my forgotten archive of memories.
Rik and Ade have been a staple, and the most formative part of my own humour, that has made todays news  so hard to deal with. It feels like I've lost a friend, a very funny, honest and close friend. I've lost MY comedian but you can choose your own memory.

Rik Mayall, thank you. You were the best.