Jimmy Kimmel fought back tears Tuesday night as he delivered what he called “the hardest monologue” of his career: a raw tribute to his lifelong friend and Jimmy Kimmel Live! bandleader Cleto Escobedo III, who died early that morning at just 59. The 57-year-old host, visibly shattered during the taping of his ABC late-night staple, announced an indefinite break for the show – scrapping Wednesday and Thursday episodes – to grieve the loss of the man who’d been by his side for nearly 23 years, from Vegas playgrounds to Hollywood spotlights.
Kimmel kicked off the emotional segment with a heavy pause, his voice cracking as he addressed the studio crowd: “I’ve had to do some hard monologues along the way, but this one’s the hardest because late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was much too young to go.” He described Escobedo – the charismatic frontman of Cleto and the Cletones – as more than a colleague: a proud confidant who’d “loved” watching Kimmel’s rise and never took their shared dream for granted. “He was proud of me. He loved me. He loved seeing all of this happen, being a part of it,” Kimmel shared, his eyes glistening under the studio lights. “Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers.” The host wrapped by revealing the duo’s unbreakable bond: They’d been “inseparable since I was nine years old,” growing up across the street in Las Vegas – a friendship that blossomed through college, young adulthood, and into the glitzy chaos of late-night TV.
The news hit like a thunderclap, especially after Escobedo’s prolonged absence from the show. He’d been sidelined for months due to an undisclosed health battle, prompting the cancellation of the November 7 episode amid concerns for his condition. No cause of death has been disclosed for the Texas-born musician, leaving fans and colleagues in stunned limbo. Escobedo is survived by his wife, Lori, and their two young children – a family he’d often credited as the anchor for his “perfect job” that let him balance rock-star riffs with dad duties.
Kimmel doubled down on the heartbreak in a poignant Instagram post hours later, penning a message that has since garnered over 5 million likes: “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. 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.” The post, accompanied by a black-and-white throwback of the pair grinning backstage, ended with a plea for prayers and a timeless reminder: “Cherish your friends.”
Cleto Escobedo III wasn’t just Kimmel’s musical right hand; he was the soul of Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘s house band since its 2003 debut. Fronting Cleto and the Cletones – a high-energy Latin-jazz outfit that fused salsa grooves with late-night levity – Escobedo brought infectious charisma to the stage, often bantering with Kimmel like old pals swapping stories over beers. His father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., rounded out the family affair on tenor and alto sax, making the Cletones a multi-generational powerhouse taped out of Los Angeles.
Before the spotlight, Escobedo was a touring titan, laying down tracks with icons like Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony, and Earth, Wind & Fire – a resume that caught Kimmel’s eye during the show’s inception. In a 2015 interview, Kimmel gushed about the hire: “Of course I wanted great musicians, but I wanted somebody I have chemistry with… there’s nobody in my life I have better chemistry with than him.” Escobedo, ever humble, reciprocated in a 2014 San Fernando Sun sit-down: “Jimmy is very loyal to his friends… I don’t take it for granted. For me, as the father of young children, this is the perfect job… I will always stay by Jimmy’s side.”
The late-night landscape is reeling. Fellow host Stephen Colbert, whose The Late Show band The Stay Human has shared stages with the Cletones, posted a heartfelt note on X: “Devastated for Jimmy and the whole Kimmel family. Cleto was a force – his music lit up every room. Rest in rhythm, brother.” Conan O’Brien, a Kimmel contemporary, echoed the sentiment in a video tribute: “Cleto made late night feel like a backyard jam. Jimmy, we’re here for you.” Even across the pond, James Corden – who guested on Kimmel dozens of times – shared: “The heart of that show was Cleto’s laugh. Gutted.”
Fans flooded social media with memories, turning #CletoEscobedo into a trending tribute hub. Clips of his signature entrances – horn blasts syncing with Kimmel’s punchlines – racked up millions of views, while one viral montage set to his band’s cover of “Happy” (ironically) drew 2 million tears: “He made joy look effortless,” a user captioned. A GoFundMe for Escobedo’s family, launched by the show’s staff, has surged past $500,000, earmarked for his kids’ education and Lori’s support.
For Kimmel, whose tenure on Jimmy Kimmel Live! has weathered Oscars gaffes, political firestorms, and personal milestones like his son’s 2017 heart surgery, Escobedo’s loss cuts deepest. The duo’s Vegas origins – childhood pranks evolving into Emmy-winning synergy – mirrored the show’s scrappy charm. As Kimmel signed off Tuesday, he vowed: “We’ll be back when we can… but for now, we need this time.” No firm return date was set, leaving ABC’s 11:35 p.m. slot in limbo – potentially filled by Nightline specials or guest hosts.
In an industry of fleeting friendships, Kimmel and Escobedo’s was the stuff of legend: Lifelong, loyal, and laced with laughter. As the host put it best: “A dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true.” Cleto Escobedo III didn’t just play the music – he made the magic. Rest easy, bandleader; the encore awaits.
