Additional Coverage:
- Jimmy Kimmel remembers bandleader and close friend Cleto Escobedo III in tearful tribute (nbcnews.com)
Jimmy Kimmel Mourns Lifelong Friend and Bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III
Los Angeles, CA – Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel delivered a heartfelt and tearful eulogy on Tuesday night’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for his dear friend and show bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III, who passed away earlier that day. Kimmel announced Escobedo’s death on social media, remembering him as a “great friend, father, son, musician and man,” and urged followers to keep his family in their thoughts.
“Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old,” Kimmel wrote, reflecting on their shared journey. “The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true.”
Opening his show with a heavy heart, Kimmel shared the devastating news. “Early this morning, we lost someone very special who was much too young to go,” he said, visibly emotional.
“Everyone loves Cleto. Everyone here at the show.
We’re devastated by this. It’s just not fair.
He was the nicest, most humble, kind and always funny person.”
Kimmel dedicated a significant portion of the broadcast to reminiscing about their decades-long friendship, which began in 1977 when Kimmel’s family moved across the street from Escobedo in Las Vegas. He recounted childhood escapades, noting how he often mirrored Escobedo, copying his fashion, hairstyles, and even joining him at the gym.
“We had our own language that almost no one else understood,” Kimmel shared, a connection that endured until Escobedo’s passing. “We didn’t have to say anything…
I knew he was thinking about looking at me and I was thinking about looking at him.”
The news follows Kimmel’s postponement of a show taping last week due to a “personal matter.” He confirmed Tuesday night that the show would be taking a few nights off in the wake of Escobedo’s death.
A Las Vegas native, Escobedo had led Cleto and the Cletones, the house band for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, for over two decades. Kimmel lauded his friend’s musical talent, describing him as a “phenomenal saxophone player from a very young age… a child prodigy.” Escobedo’s impressive career included touring with Paula Abdul and later being signed to her record label to create his own album.
Kimmel recalled their childhood bond, which quickly became an inseparable friendship. “We became like 24/7, ‘mom, please let me sleep over, please,’ kind of friends,” he joked, sharing that one summer he slept at Escobedo’s house 33 nights in a row.
In a 2016 segment celebrating Escobedo’s 50th birthday, Kimmel playfully highlighted their unique friendship, built on “the kind of torture that you can only inflict – an older brother can inflict on you without being arrested.” He shared humorous anecdotes, like Escobedo steering him into trash cans while riding in a bicycle sidecar, and sabotaging a go-kart Kimmel had built as a child by gluing the steering column.
“I went right into traffic,” Kimmel quipped. The segment concluded with touching photos of the two growing up, including one of them playing music together – Kimmel on clarinet and Escobedo on saxophone.
When “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was preparing to launch in 2003, Kimmel knew he had to have Escobedo for his house band.
He recounted taking the president of ABC to see Escobedo’s band perform, who “loved it.” “Of course I wanted great musicians, but I wanted somebody I had chemistry with,” Kimmel explained to WABC.
“And there’s nobody in my life I have better chemistry with than him.”
“The idea that anyone other than him would lead the band was terrifying,” Kimmel said Tuesday night, remembering the band’s original lineup, which included Escobedo’s father. “And we’ve been working together every day for almost 23 years.”