Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is grieving the loss of his longtime friend and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” bandleader Cleto Escobedo III, who died this week at the age of 59.
According to The Associated Press, Kimmel announced the news on Tuesday in an emotional Instagram post, calling Escobedo’s passing devastating.
“That we are heartbroken is an understatement,” Kimmel wrote. “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 two shared a friendship that spanned more than five decades. Kimmel and Escobedo first met as children growing up across the street from each other in Las Vegas, bonding over their shared love of comedy and the late-night shows of David Letterman.
“We just met one day on the street,” Escobedo recalled in a 2022 interview for Texas Tech University’s Southwest Collection oral history archive. “We kind of had the same sense of humor. We just became pals, and we’ve been pals ever since.”
Escobedo went on to become a professional saxophonist, touring with major artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire’s Phillip Bailey and Paula Abdul, and recording with Marc Anthony, Tom Scott, and Take Six. When Kimmel launched Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2003, he immediately brought Escobedo aboard as his bandleader.
“Of course I wanted great musicians, but I wanted somebody I had chemistry with,” Kimmel told WABC in 2015. “And there’s nobody in my life I have better chemistry with than him.”
Escobedo’s father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., also became part of the house band, playing tenor and alto saxophones alongside his son. The father-son duo celebrated nearly 20 years of performing together on the show in 2022.
In that same interview, Escobedo said his time with the show allowed him to prioritize family life. “Touring and all that stuff is fun, but it’s more of a young man’s game,” he said. “Being on the road and watching how hard it is, leaving your kids for so long … it’s like, ‘What?’”
Kimmel often celebrated their friendship publicly, once dedicating a 2016 segment to Escobedo’s 50th birthday and retelling stories from their childhood—like Escobedo’s “side hack” bike that he used to drive his friend into garbage cans for laughs.
The cause of Escobedo’s death has not been released. His survivors include his wife, Lori, and their two children.
Last Thursday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! was abruptly canceled following the news.
