Little and Large comedian Eddie Large dies aged 78 after contracting coronavirus

Little and Large comedian Eddie Large has died from coronavirus.
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The comic, 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. ‘

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“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.

Comedian Eddie Large (right) with comedy partner Syd Little. (Photo: Getty).Comedian Eddie Large (right) with comedy partner Syd Little. (Photo: Getty).
Comedian Eddie Large (right) with comedy partner Syd Little. (Photo: Getty).

‘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.

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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.

The comedic duo had a highly publicised falling out, however they had reconciled in recent years. In his later career, Eddie appeared in numerous TV guest acting roles and had penned autobiography Larger Than Life.

Large was born Edward Hugh McGinnis in Glasgow in 1941 and he met singer and guitarist Cyril Meed in the Stonemason's Arms pub in Wythenshawe, Manchester and they formed a double act following the reaction to Eddie's comic heckling of Cyril, who switched to comedy and became known as Syd Little

The comedian is survived by his second wife, Patsy, and three children.

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