Jimmy Kimmel announces death of childhood friend and band leader Cleto Escobedo III
Late-night US TV star Jimmy Kimmel has announced the death of his lifelong friend and the leader of his show’s house band, Cleto Escobedo III.
Kimmel spoke about the loss of one of the favourite members of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! team after news filtered out that the 59-year-old musician died on Tuesday.
“Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,” Kimmel said via his Instagram account.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“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,” he concluded.
The news followed the announcement last week that Jimmy Kimmel Live! was unexpectedly postponed on November 6 due to a “personal matter” involving the host.
Kimmel had no hesitation enlisting the help of Escobedo III to head up the band on ‘Live!’ knowing his musical ability after decades of friendship.
To mark Escobedo’s 50th birthday in 2016 Kimmel gave an insight into the pair’s relationship.
“Cleto had a bicycle with a sidecar attached to it. We called it the side hack. I would get in the sidecar and then Cleto would drive me directly into garbage cans and bushes,” Kimmel said about their time playing together as children.
“Escobedo would be on the lawn with his BB gun just shooting at me.
“Cleto would quietly, in the back, slip out of his pants and moon people from the back of our car,” Kimmel added about trips in his mum’s car with his friend.
Cleto and the Cletones have been on Jimmy Kimmel Live! since it first aired in 2003 and Cleto’s dad, Cleto Escobado Sr., is also a member of the band and plays tenor and alto saxophones on the show, according to People.
“The whole school would gather to watch. He’d get standing ovations. It was a crazy thing,” Kimmel told ABC7, describing his friend as “a child prodigy”.
Escobedo toured with Earth, Wind and Fire, Paula Abdul and had his own record deal, with Kimmel confirming he was a must for his show: “I’ll tell you one thing. I had to have my band leader, Cleto”.
“I was nervous, because I thought they’d say, ‘We don’t want your friend to be the band leader.
“So I took the president of ABC to see him play with his band, and he loved it,” Kimmel told ABC7.
