Syd Little has broken his silence over his best friend and comedy partner Eddie Large's tragic death at the age of 78 after contracting coronavirus in hospital.
The pair made up one of the country's most beloved comedy duos, known as Little And Large, who had millions of fans across the UK in the 1970s and 1980s.
In a poignant interview with BBC Radio Lancashire, Syd paid tribute to his closest pal.
"He had been ill for a while but when it happens, it hits you," he said. "We were together 60 years. It wasn't like having a partner. We were friends."
Little said he had remained in almost daily contact with his stage partner, and spoke to him on Wednesday night, shortly before he died.
"He was in pain, bless him, but he even asked me how are we up here [in Lancashire]," he said. "He was so thoughtful to everybody."
Reflecting on their decades-long career, he added: "We did everything there was to do in showbiz and we did it together. Happy times."
The pair first met in a pub in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, when guitarist and singer Syd overheard Eddie heckling his performance on stage.
A lifelong bond was formed and the duo went on to win Opportunity Knocks in 1971, launching their own TV series The Little And Large Show soon after, as well as appearing in the comedy impressions show Who Do You Do?.
Their friendship was strengthened by years of comedy entertainment, but all the while Eddie's health was failing.
He was diagnosed with 'smoker's lung despite being a non-smoker, with doctors suggesting the damage could have been done from spending years performing in smoky clubs as a youth.
Syd helped Eddie get through their gruelling work schedule after their show was cancelled in 1991, even running out of their pantomime rehearsals to grab medication for Eddie to breathe.
Eddie once recalled: "When I put my seatbelt on in the car, I had to sit for a minute to get my breath back. It was a nightmare.
"Syd was living it with me every minute of every day. When we did panto in Wimbledon he spent every day going to pharmacists, buying stuff to help me breathe."
After a near-fatal stay in intensive care in 2002, Eddie's medical team warned him he could drop dead on stage.
Eddie - whose wife Patsy doctors had warned might not pull through the journey to hospital - was forced to retire from his double act after the miraculous finding of a donated heart.
"That phone call to Syd was the most painful I've ever had to make," he recalled to the Mirror in 2017.
"I was crying my eyes out because I knew I was putting him out of work. He had bills to pay.
"I felt horrible. We weren't just a double act. We were mates, right from the start."
But while their friendship was dogged by claims of fallings-out over the following years, Syd revealed in 2017 that they stayed in touch nearly every day.
Syd - who gave up showbiz to help out in his wife's restaurant - told the Mirror: "We were 14 years on television, but after that you start to come down.
"You go to theatres and they’re half full and me and Eddie thought, 'Hello, this is it'. Every act has its shelf life.
"We call each other up nearly every day now 'cos we're like two old fellas. It's amazing."
He went on: "We can't not say we've had a great life and I've enjoyed every minute of it.
"I liked doing the cruise ships at first, but I hated the travelling. It sounds glamorous, but it wasn't in the end."
It comes after Eddie's son Ryan McGinnis confirmed the sad news of his death on Facebook.
He revealed how Eddie - who had suffered from heart and kidney problems throughout his life - contracted deadly COVID-19 in hospital.
None of his family or friends were allowed to visit as Eddie tried desperately to fight off the virus.
"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," Ryan wrote.
"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 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 every week.
"RIP Dad. We love you and miss you from all the family."
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April 02, 2020 at 11:55PM
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Heartbroken Syd Little breaks silence over Eddie Large's death from coronavirus - Irish Mirror
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