Cleto Escobedo III, childhood friend of Jimmy Kimmel and longtime bandleader of Jimmy Kimmel Live, has died at age 59. Kimmel announced the news on his Instagram Tuesday afternoon. The cause of death was not disclosed.
“Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man,” Kimmel wrote alongside sharing a photograph of Escobedo with his saxophone. “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.”
The news comes shortly after Entertainment Weekly confirmed that the Nov. 6 episode, which was replaced with a rerun on little notice, was postponed due to a “personal matter” related to the host.
Escobedo has led the Jimmy Kimmel Live! house band, named Cleto and the Cletones, since the show premiered in 2003. Escobedo played the alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones and occasionally sang. The pair first met growing up in Las Vegas. They were neighbors.
“Cleto had a bicycle with a sidecar attached to it,” Kimmel said in a 2016 segment dedicated to his friend’s 50th birthday. “We called it the side hack. I would get in the sidecar and then Cleto would drive me directly into garbage cans and bushes.”
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Prior to Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Escobedo was a successful musician in his own right. He had a record deal and toured with artists such as Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony, and Earth, Wind & Fire. His father, who is also a saxophonist, played in the band alongside his son.
“19 years of this!! Love ya Dad,” Escobedo wrote in a 2022 post dedicated to his father.
