Neil Young has shared his condolences and support with Jimmy Kimmel following the death of the comedian’s close friend.
On November 12, the famed singer was seen celebrating his birthday while driving his 1959 Lincoln Continental convertible in Oxnard, California. However, Neil made a simple gesture to Jimmy to show his thoughts were with him during this tragic time.
Jimmy Kimmel revealed earlier this week that he’ll be taking some time away from his talk show after band leader and childhood friend, Cleto Escobedo III, died from liver transplant surgery complications. Cleto was 59 and is survived by his parents, wife Lori, and two children.
On Tuesday, November 11, it was announced that Cleto died after a recent hospitalization at UCLA Medical Center. Jimmy spoke emotively about his long-time friend on his show that evening, telling viewers, “Heartbroken is an understatement.”
He also praised Cleto’s parents, who were both in the audience, “I want to thank Cleto’s parents, Cleto and Sylvia, for making him and for sharing him with me and with all of us, and for treating me like their own son always.”
During his monologue, Jimmy further noted that he would be taking a few days away from filming but wanted to continue with that episode as “Cleto loved [tonight’s guest] Eddie Murphy a lot, and I don’t think he would have wanted us to miss this.”
Following the news of the musician’s death, Neil could be seen wearing a Jimmy Kimmel Live! cap in a subtle show of support for the 57-year-old comedian. It is believed he procured this item during Jimmy’s suspension in September after the talk-show host criticized the reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Neil is known for making big statements, including political ones, such as when he removed his catalog from Amazon Music due to billionaire founder Jeff Bezos’ supposed support of “a US government that neglects public welfare.”
Two months prior to this, the 80-year-old also stated that he would “no longer be using Instagram” because of Meta’s alleged “unconscionable” use of chatbots with children.
Earlier this year, Neil’s wife, Daryl Hannah, released a documentary about her superstar husband, called Neil Young: Coastal, which she filmed during his 2023 solo tour.
“His sense of humor takes me by surprise all the time; his observations, his timing, and the wry nature of it,” the 64-year-old actress said at the time.
Speaking to Forbes, she added, “But I was surprised that he was nervous, I was surprised that he was so nervous before the first show. And of course, I’m always taken by surprise by what song he’s going to play because you never know.”
The pair have been married for seven years, celebrating their recent anniversary in August 2025.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
