Don't mind telling you we blubbed quite a bit reading this, so consider yourselves prepped.

The comedian's 18-year-old daughter, Bonnie Mayall, posted this photograph of her dad on Facebook yesterday, along with a moving message, after he died suddenly on Monday, aged just 56.

She wrote: "My dad was loved not only by my family, but by many many others. We will never forget him and neither will the world. R.I.P. to the man, the myth, the legend - my wonderful, generous, foul-mouthed and hysterical father. My idol now and forever. We love you daddy."

Rik's eldest daughter Rosie, aged 27, and his make-up artist wife Barbara, also posted photographs of The Young Ones star on their Facebook profiles.

The comedian - who also leaves behind 25-year-old son Sid - was found by Barbara at their home in Barnes, South West London and reportedly took daily medication for epilepsy, after a quad bike accident in the late 1990s.

Meanwhile, TV director Peter Richardson, who worked with Rick on Channel 4 series The Comic Strip Presents, claims the actor had been chatting to one of his sons just half an hour before he was found dead.

According to The Sun, Peter said: "He was happily chatting away and then, we still don't know quite what happened, but it was a seizure of some sort. He had 16 years after the quad bike and I think people didn't think he would survive. It was just shocking that he was so happy and seemed so healthy when he did go."

Tests will begin today to establish cause of death, while the BBC is set to show "one of Rik's famous comedies" on Sunday on BBC2. I know I won't be alone in willing it not to be Drop Dead Fred. He was much funnier than that.

Rik Mayall's wife, Barbara, says they 'don't know what happened'