British comedian and actor Rik Mayall has died at the age of 56, his manager says.
Mayall was an English comedian, writer and actor who starred alongside Adrian Edmondson in The Young Ones and Bottom.
The comedian gave a rousing speech to Exeter graduates in 2008 as he accepted an honorary degree from the university, an honour he said must be a "mistake".
Mr Mayall, who has moved to the Westcountry, was awarded the honorary doctorate during a graduation ceremony for students.
Mr Mayall is most famous for his anarchic 1980s television series, The Young Ones, in which he and long-term comedy partner Adrian Edmondson played students of the fictional Scumbag College. Mr Edmondson received an honorary degree from the university last year.
Accepting the honour to much cheering and laughter, Mr Mayall said: "This is such an honour, such a joy, such a treat, such a mistake."
He told the audience he was "not a clever person" and after passing his 11 plus in 1967 "everything went downhill".
He said he failed seven O-levels, and his maths O-level three times, before going on to get two Fs and a U at A-level. He then managed to get in to Manchester University to do drama on the strength of an interview but said: "They'll take anything up there."
He added: "I didn't actually fail my drama degree – I just failed to turn up. It wasn't because I was too stupid, I was just too drunk."
The actor had a home in Kingsbridge, near Plymouth
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