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Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel announced Tuesday that Cleto Escobedo III,<\/b> his childhood friend and longtime band leader for his show, has died. Escobedo and Kimmel had been friends since they met as children in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
“To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old,\u201c Kimmel wrote on Instagram.<\/a> \u201dThe 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\u2019s wife, children and parents in your prayers.”<\/p>\n Escobedo fronted the house band Cleto and the Cletones for \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live\u201d since the show\u2019s debut in 2003. Kimmel kicked off Tuesday night\u2019s episode<\/a> of the program with a tearful tribute to his friend.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cEveryone loves Cleto… everyone here at the show,\u201d Kimmel said. \u201cWe are devastated by this. It\u2019s not… It\u2019s just not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n Escobedo\u2019s mother was in the audience for the taping Tuesday and his father, who is a member of the band, performed during the show. Kimmel later announced that the shows scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday are canceled.<\/p>\n A cause of death has not been publicly released. Escobedo was 59.<\/p>\n Read the original article on mlive.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n