British comedy legend Eddie Large has died from coronavirus
Image Source/ Deadline
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The comic – who made up one half of the TV double act Little and Large with his partner Syd Little – passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning (02.04.20) after contracting the deadly respiratory illness whilst in hospital to be treated for heart failure.
His son Ryan confirmed the tragic news that his father – real name Edward McGinnis – had died at the age of 78 in a Facebook post.
The post read:
‘It is with great sadness that Mum and I need to announce that my dad, Edward McGinnis, 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 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 that he achieved in his career with Syd and know that he was much loved by the millions that watched them each week.
‘RIP Dad.
‘We love you and miss you, from all the family’.
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Little and Large began their TV career on the talent show Opportunity Knocks winning in 1971 and they soon became regulars on the small screen.
The Little and Large Show aired on BBC One from 1 May 1978 to 20 April 1991 and featured star guests, music and an array of hilarious sketches.
The pair also frequently appeared on ITV comedy impressions show Who Do You Do? and were regulars in pantomimes every Christmas.
Although Eddie and Syd – real name Cyril Mead – rarely worked as a double act in the 2000s they did appear on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway featuring in their sketch serial Saturday Knight Takeaway and in February 2018 their appeared as a pair on Pointless Celebrities.
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