The comedian and actor, best known as one-half of the double act Cannon & Ball, tested positive for coronavirus and died at a Blackpool hospital on Wednesday. 

Ball became a household name in the 1980s with the launch of ITV’s Cannon and Ball Show alongside his comedy partner and friend Tommy Cannon. The variety show ran from 1979-1988 and boasted consistently high ratings in their primetime Saturday night slot. 

Their friendship blossomed organically after meeting at a factory where they worked and, according to their website, Ball asked Cannon to join him singing on weekends marking the start of a lifelong bond.

Opening up about their partnership, Ball told Summer Winos in 2016: ‘That’s the only trouble with putting me and Tommy together in something, the minute you put us together, we cease to become the characters, and we become Cannon and Ball. 

‘In peoples’ minds. We can play the two separate characters, but they associate us with “Oh, it’s…