Ant and Dec have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to their friend and colleague, Eddie Large, who died aged 78 from coronavirus. The comedian was best known for being part of the comedic duo Little and Large, with Syd Little. Speaking about the loss, Ant and Dec wrote: "So sad to hear about the passing of Eddie Large. We had the pleasure of working with him and Syd a few years ago. He just loved making people laugh. He will be missed. Our thoughts are with his family at this time."
Eddie passed away from COVID-19
They added a snap of themselves posing with Eddie and Sid in the post, and fans were quick to show their support, with one writing: "Staple of my childhood TV - amazing double act and seemed a good guy. Very sad," while another added: "Ah that’s such sad news!! Used to love them both."
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Eddie was part of the comedy duo Little and Large
Eddie's family confirmed the sad news on Facebook, confirming that he had been suffering from heart failure and contracted COVID-19 in hospital. They wrote: "Dad 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 has achieved in his career with Syd and know that he was much loved by the millions that watched them every week."
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Plenty of comedians also paid tribute to the late star, with Jason Manford writing: "So sorry to hear about Eddie Large passing away. Came to every comedy and musical show I did whenever I hit Bristol and was always around for a chat about comedy and Man City afterwards. Such a gentle, funny man. RIP Eddie." Matt Lucas added: "Eddie Large (along with his supersonic friend Syd) was really lovely and kind and encouraging to me when I was a nipper on Shooting Stars. So sad to hear of his passing."