Comedian Eddie Large dies aged 78 from coronavirus
Little And Large comedian Eddie Large has died aged 78 from coronavirus, his son confirmed today.
The Little and Large comedian, who is best known for his partnership with Syd Little, had been in hospital with heart failure, before contracting the deadly Covid-19 virus.
His son, Ryan McGinnis, posted on Facebook: ‘It is with great sadness that Mum and I need to announce that my dad passed away in the early hours of this morning.
‘He had been suffering with heart failure and unfortunately, whilst in hospital, contracted the coronavirus, which his heart was sadly not strong enough to fight.
‘Dad had fought bravely for so long. Due to this horrible disease we had been unable to visit him at the hospital but all of the family and close friends spoke to him every day.
‘We will miss him terribly and we are so proud of everything he achieved in his career with Syd and know that he was much loved by the millions that watched them each week.’
Along with Syd, Eddie attracted massive success through the 1970s and 80s after finding fame winning talent show Opportunity Knocks in 1971.
As their popularity grew, in 1978 they debuted BBC One’s The Little And Large Show, which meshed stand-up routines with hilarious sketch segments.
The show, which has been compared to the likes of The Two Ronnies and The Morecambe & Wise Show, was a runaway success and attracted on average 18 million viewers a week.
It ran for 11 series, before concluding in 1991.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=T1WaXeIvDTs%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26fs%3D1%26autohide%3D2%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26wmode%3Dtransparent
The comedic duo had a highly publicised falling out, however they had reconciled in recent years.
Good Morning Britain’s Piers Morgan was one of the first stars to pay tribute, as he tweeted: ‘What sad news – he & Syd Little were one of Britain’s most beloved comedy duos. RIP.’
Michael Barrymore, who was Eddie’s support act, also chimed in: ‘Eddie Large. He was such a funny and talented man.
‘I was his support act for many years and he was nothing but kind caring and supportive to the upstart at the bottom of the Bill. Me. My love and condolences to Patsy, Samantha his daughter and Ryan his son. XXX.’
In his later career, Eddie appeared in numerous TV guest acting roles and had penned autobiography Larger Than Life .
The comedian is survived by his second wife, Patsy, and three children.
Coronavirus latest news and updates
- Visit our live blog for the latest updates: Coronavirus news live
- Read all new and breaking stories on our Covid-19 news page
- Coronavirus symptoms explained
- Find out the latest on which shops can stay open in a lockdown
- Who needs to go to work, who needs to stay at home and who is classed as a key worker?
Source: Read Full Article