The much-loved comedian Eddie Large, who found fame in the double act Little and Large, has died after testing positive for coronavirus.

Large, 78, was a regular on television in the 1970s and 80s with his partner Syd Little and their show attracted an average of 18 million viewers.

His son Ryan McGinnis, 37, told The Times that his father had been in hospital after a heart attack and chest infection when he contracted the virus.

He said that his father, born Edward Hugh McGinnis, died alone in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, with his family and friends barred from visiting by the strict rules around slowing the spread of the virus.

He said: “Coronavirus was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He had a