| Eddie Large |
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| Birth name | Edward Hugh McGinnis |
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| Born | 25 June 1941
Glasgow, Scotland |
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| Died | 2 April 2020 (aged 78)
Bristol, England |
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| Medium | Comedian |
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| Nationality | British |
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| Spouse | Sandra Baywood ( m. 1965; div. 1979) Patsy Ann Scott ( m. 1983)
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| Children | 3 |
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| Notable works and roles | The Little and Large Show |
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Edward Hugh McGinnis (25 June 1941 – 2 April 2020), better known by the stage name Eddie Large, was a British comedian. He was best known as one half of the double act Little and Large, with Syd Little (the stage name of Cyril Mead).
Early life[edit]
Large was born Edward Hugh McGinnis in Glasgow in 1941.[1] His father Teddy served as a Petty Officer in the Royal Navy during World War II and after he returned from the war the family moved to a tenement in Oatlands.[2] When he was nine years old, the family moved again to Manchester, where he attended Claremont Road Primary School[3] and a grammar school.[4] He played football as a schoolboy, becoming a supporter of nearby Manchester City which had its ground opposite his home,[5] and he maintained a life-long devotion to the club. After he left school he worked as an electrician and was a singer.[6]
Little and Large[edit]
Large met singer and guitarist Cyril Mead in the Stonemason's Arms pub in Timperley and they formed a double act following the reaction to Eddie's comic heckling of Cyril,[3] who switched to comedy. The duo then performed in northern clubs, turning professional in 1963.[7] As Little and Large, the two men began their television career on the talent show Opportunity Knocks winning in 1971[8] and starred in many television comedy programmes, including their own series The Little and Large Show[1] and the ITV series Who Do You Do? doing impressions and also performing as pantomime stars.[9]
In an interview in 2010, Large said that he and Syd Little had not spoken to each other for several years.[10] During the 2010–11 football season, football entertainment show Soccer AM produced comedy sketches with Peterborough footballer Mark Little, and Eddie Large, as the newly reformed Little and Large.[11]
Later career[edit]
Large worked on the after-dinner circuit[12] and, in the latter years of his life, performed some cameo acting roles in dramas such as The Brief and Blackpool.[9] His autobiography entitled Larger than Life was published in 2005.[13] In 2013, Large released his first single without Little, a parody of "Je t'aime... moi non plus" by Serge Gainsbourg entitled "Gee Musky... Moi Non Plus".[14]
Personal life[edit]
Large married his first wife, Sandra Baywood, in 1965. The marriage ended in divorce, with Large marrying his second wife, Patsy Scott, in 1983.[15] Large lived in Portishead, near Bristol, with his wife Patsy and 26-year-old son.[9] He also had two daughters and three grandchildren.[1]
After being admitted to hospital in March 2002 due to kidney problems, he underwent a heart transplant at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge in 2003 at the age of 62, and recovered fully.[9] Large was hospitalised for some weeks in late 2013 after tripping over a road sign near his Portishead home.[16]
Large died on 2 April 2020 at Southmead Hospital in Bristol after contracting COVID-19 while in hospital receiving treatment for heart failure.[17] Large had suffered from kidney and heart problems for a number of years.[13] He was 78.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Large
