Jimmy Kimmel is mourning the death of longtime friend and Jimmy Kimmel Live bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III. He was 59.
The late-night host shared the news of his death on Instagram, writing, “Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III. To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old. The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true. Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers.”
As Kimmel alluded to, he and the Cleto and the Cletones leader first met as kids growing up in Las Vegas. “Jimmy was at the house every day, slept over at our house,” Escobedo said in a 2013 interview with ABC7. “I would wake up early in the morning and I would hear [a noise], and I said, ‘That’s Jimmy.’ Because Jimmy had a little allergy problem.”
Disney/Randy Holmes
Cleto and the Cletones on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’
When Escobedo turned 50, Kimmel paid tribute to his friend on Jimmy Kimmel Live, telling the audience, “We began a lifetime of friendship that was highlighted by the kind of torture that only an older brother can inflict on you without being arrested,” before proceeding to name various pranks that went down between the two.
Escobedo first formed the band Cleto and the Cletones in 1995, playing the alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones as well as occasionally lending his vocals to sets. Other members of the group include his father, Cleto Escobedo Sr, as well as keyboardist Jeff Babko, guitarist Toshi Yanagi, bassist Jimmy Earl, and drummer Jonathan Dresel.
When it came time for Kimmel to headline his own late-night show in 2003, his longtime friend was his first call to lead his house band. “I always thank him for this gig because he could have tried to get somebody that was established and would help the show more, being a bigger name or whatever. But he trusted me with this job, and I’ve tried to do the best I can,” Escobedo told ABC7.
In addition to his gig on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Cleto and the Cletones also toured with Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony, and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey.
Though a cause of death has not been announced, Escobedo’s condition was the reason for the abrupt cancellation of the show last week, according to Variety. At the time, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Thursday’s episode of the late-night talk show was postponed as a result of a “personal matter” involving Kimmel.
The episode was intended to feature Malice star David Duchovny, Stranger Things star Joe Keery, and musical act Madison Beer; ABC aired a rerun of Oct. 28’s episode instead.
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EW also confirmed that this week’s slate of episodes will happen as planned, though they do not feature Duchovny, Keery, and Beer. It is unclear when the postponed episode will take place, but a representative for the show said they are currently working on rescheduling it.
Representatives for Jimmy Kimmel Live did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment on Tuesday.
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