Jimmy Kimmel opened Tuesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live fighting tears as he told viewers that his longtime bandleader and childhood friend, Cleto Escobedo III, had died earlier that day at 59. The announcement turned what is usually light late night TV into a raw moment of public grief.
According to TooFab, Kimmel called it the hardest monologue he has ever had to deliver in nearly 23 years on the air, explaining that early that morning, they had lost “someone very special” who was far too young. The studio fell almost silent as he tried to push through his prepared remarks, stopping more than once to compose himself.
Reports from TMZ and ABC say Kimmel and Escobedo were not just coworkers who met in Hollywood but neighbors who grew up across the street from each other in Las Vegas after Kimmel’s family moved from Brooklyn. When ABC picked up Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2003, Kimmel pushed hard to make Escobedo the leader of the house band, convinced that their years of chemistry would carry over to television.
Memories from the Las Vegas block
“There was a boy who lived on my block,” Kimmel told the audience, describing the slightly older kid who became his constant companion and the friend whose house he once stayed at 33 nights in a row one summer. He joked that they were the kind of 24 hour, “please let me sleep over” friends that parents eventually just surrender to, a small memory that suddenly felt huge in the context of loss.
Beyond the stories, Kimmel spent time talking about Escobedo’s talent. TMZ’s coverage noted that Kimmel called his friend a child prodigy who drew standing ovations in junior high, and he praised Escobedo’s father, Cleto Sr., who once put his own musical career on hold to raise his family before joining his son in the Jimmy Kimmel Live band years later. Kimmel said one of the best parts of having the show was giving Cleto Sr. the chance to be a working musician again alongside his son.
Cleto’s legacy on the show
TMZ reported that Escobedo led Cleto and the Cletones for nearly 23 years, his saxophone and arrangements helping define the sound of the show from the first season forward. He had been noticeably absent in recent months while dealing with illness, and multiple outlets noted that Kimmel even canceled a taping at the last minute to be by his side, with no cause of death publicly released so far.
In that same tribute, shared on Instagram hours before the monologue, Kimmel called Escobedo a “great friend, father, son, musician and man” and wrote that they had been inseparable since he was nine years old, adding the now widely quoted line, “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement.” He said working together every day had been a dream neither of them imagined, and he asked fans to cherish their own friends and keep Escobedo’s wife, children and parents in their prayers. According to ABC, Kimmel also told viewers the show would take the next couple of nights off after the tribute.
Stars rush to comfort Kimmel
On social media, celebrities moved quickly to support him. TooFab notes that Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet wrote that he was “so sorry” and called Escobedo “awesome,” while Wanda Sykes posted that the news was heartbreaking and offered her sympathy directly to Kimmel. Johnny Knoxville sent “love to u, cleto and his whole family,” and Julia Louis Dreyfus added that she was “so so sorry,” echoing what many fans were already saying in the comments.
Musicians who had worked with Escobedo added their own memories. One report mentioned that Sheila E. grew emotional as she spoke to People, calling him “the nicest guy” and a “true brother,” while also sharing a heartfelt message on Instagram. Paula Abdul, who first heard him play sax in a Las Vegas bar before hiring him for her tour, wrote on Instagram that her heart was heavy as she remembered his “undeniable” talent and described him as “pure light and soul” on and off stage. TooFab also points out that actor Adam Scott called Escobedo a kind, talented man who would be sorely missed, sending love to his family and everyone at Jimmy Kimmel Live.
A family man behind the bandstand
Away from the cameras, Escobedo’s life was centered on his family. E! Online wrote that he was married to his wife Lori and that they shared two children, Jesse and Cruz, with Escobedo posting proud messages about birthdays and fishing trips over the years. In his Instagram statement, Kimmel made a point of mentioning Lori, their kids and Escobedo’s parents by name, asking viewers to keep them in mind as they processed the loss of a man he described as both a great musician and a devoted father and son.
I keep thinking about how different this kind of loss feels, when an entire country can watch a friend grieve in real time on television and then replay that moment endlessly online. Clips of Kimmel’s monologue are already circulating on YouTube, and the comment sections under his Instagram post read almost like a public condolence book, with strangers and stars stacked right next to each other.
When I was growing up, the band on a late night entertainment show felt like part of the furniture of TV, familiar faces you expected to see night after night. Seeing one of those fixtures suddenly gone, and watching the host crumble as he explains why, is a sharp reminder that behind all the jokes and music are real friendships, and sometimes very real heartbreak.