Jimmy Kimmel has expressed his sorrow over the passing of his longtime friend and Jimmy Kimmel Live! bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III, who has left us at the age of 59.
The host of the late-night talk show shared the heartbreaking news with his audience on Tuesday, November 11.
Escobedo, a talented saxophonist, had led the house band, Cleto and the Cletones, since the show premiered in 2003.
In addition to his work on the show, he performed with renowned artists such as Paula Abdul and Marc Anthony.
Kimmel and Escobedo were neighbors in Las Vegas and have remained ‘inseparable’ since meeting at the age of nine.
Their friendship involved staying up late to watch Late Night with David Letterman. When Kimmel got his ABC show, he insisted on having a live band led by Escobedo.
Announcing the tragic news, Kimmel stated: “We’ve been on the air for almost 23 years and I’ve had to do some hard monologues along the way.
“But this will… This one’s the hardest because late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was too young to go.”
He mentioned that they had shared ‘so many adventures’ and developed ‘their own language that almost no one else understood.’
Kimmel also paid homage on Instagram, saying: “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.”
He continued: “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.”
Meanwhile, Coldhearted singer Paula Abdul also honored Cleto on social media.
She reminisced about their first meeting when she heard him play saxophone at a small bar inside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Impressed by his talent, she decided to hire him for her band, even though he had no touring experience.
“Cleto was pure light and soul both on and off stage,” she stated.
The reason behind the musician’s passing has not been publicly disclosed.
As reported by Page Six, Escobedo was hospitalized last week, leading to a re-run of Thursday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The outlet mentioned that his death was related to complications following a liver transplant.
However, the exact cause of death remains undisclosed at this time.