The wife of comedy legend Eddie Large has revealed her husband’s final words before he tragically lost his battle with coronaviris COVID-19.
The comedian passed away early on Thursday morning aged 78, four days after testing positive for the deadly virus, which he’s believed to have contracted in the hospital where he was being treated for heart problems.
And grieving widow Patsy McGinnis, 76, admits she had no idea their final conversation, just hours before he passed away, would be their last.
Devastated: The wife of comedy legend Eddie Large has revealed her husband’s final words before he tragically lost his battle with coronaviris COVID-19
Speaking to Monday’s edition of Good Morning Britain, she admitted she was kept apart from her husband for the last two weeks of his life due to the highly infectious nature of the disease, meaning their final words were spoken over the phone.
She said: ‘I wanted to speak to him longer, he said darling “I have to go.” I said “I’ll speak to you in the morning”… and then we got the call at 4 in the morning to say he’d passed away.
‘I never thought it would end like this. I wish I could have been with him. We’re trying to get a funeral together and still wont be able to see him. There’s so much love out there, we’ve had so much support.’
Tragic: The comedian passed away on early on Thursday morning aged 78, four days after testing positive for the deadly virus, which he’s believed to have contracted in the hospital where he was being treated for problems with his heart
Eddie had originally been admitted to hospital after suffering a heart attack at home, but after contracting coronavirus while in medical care his loved ones were advised to stay away.
Patsy added: ‘It’s been terrible. I knew our time was limited, I knew he was very ill. We had two weeks before when he was ill, before they kicked us out. We stayed every single day with him and then lockdown came and we couldn’t go in, it was heart-breaking.
‘I spoke to him on phone every day, sometimes twice a day. Then he got this virus, heart-breaking, we couldn’t be with him.’
Separated: Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Patsy admitted she was kept apart from her husband for the last two weeks of his life due to the highly infectious nature of the disease
Remembering a legend: Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid spoke to Party, her son Ryan and Syd Little from their respective homes on Monday morning
Deteriorated: Ryan, 26, revealed his father’s health rapidly declined in the days following his coronavirus diagnosis
Appearing alongside his mother from the family home in Bristol, son Ryan, 26, revealed his father’s health rapidly declined in the days following his coronavirus diagnosis.
‘He deteriorated quite quickly after getting the virus, it was the final straw and he wasn’t strong enough to fight it off,’ he said.
‘We see videos and see stories of suffering. Luckily dad never got to the worst with the ventilation and the horror stories you see. Hopefully dad didn’t get that way.’
Sad: Comedy partner Syd also paid tribute to his close friend and colleague during Monday’s edition of Good Morning Britain
Syd Little, Eddie’s sidekick for more than 20-years, also paid tribute to the comedian from his home in Fleetwood.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid, the 77-year old broke down as he reflected on the death of his close friend.
‘It’s definitely been a emotional rollercoaster,’ he said. ‘Eddie was 90% of the act, I was 10. I miss him madly.’
Choking back tears, he added: ‘I keep getting all these text from people. Lee Mack called me and I thought I’d call Eddie and say “Lee Mack called me!” and then…’
Syd also recalled his last conversation with Eddie, admitting they did their best to make light of the situation, despite his old comedy partner struggling to combat the virus.
He said: ‘It was the afternoon. He was in a lot of pain. I tried to make light of the situation. He was moaning and I said “are you having an orgasm?”
‘He said, “how are you lot up there?” I live up in Fleetwood and they’re in Bristol, I couldn’t believe he was asking about us.’
Old times: The Glasgow-born comedian, whose real name was Edward Hugh McGinnis, was known for his partnership with Syd Little which spanned five decades after winning Opportunity Knocks in 1971
The Glasgow-born comedian, whose real name was Edward Hugh McGinnis, was known for his partnership with Syd, which spanned five decades after winning Opportunity Knocks in 1971.
Little and Large met in a Wythenshawe pub when Eddie heckled Syd during a stand-up routine and the duo would become among the biggest stars of the 1970s and 1980s – at their peak up to 25 million viewers would watch their weekly TV show.
But in the 1990s Eddie suffered health problems, leading to the premature end of their act.
They were last seen on screen together in February 2019 for a celebrity special of the BBC’s Pointless game show.
Gone but not forgotten: Eddie, one half of the famous comedy double act Little and Large, died at the age of 78 after contracting coronavirus in hospital while being treated for heart failure