Jimmy Kimmel was visibly distraught following the death of his close friend Cleto Escobedo III, the musical director of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the leader of the in-house band.
The late-night show host was teary-eyed as he began the monologue in tribute to the late musician who had passed away earlier that day.
“We’ve been on the air for almost 23 years and I’ve had to do some hard monologues along the way,” he said. “But this will… This one’s the hardest because late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was too young to go.”
Kimmel recalled how he met Escobedo during his childhood and shared some moments he spent with him growing up in Las Vegas.
“We had so many adventures. We laughed so hard. We had our own language that almost no one else understood,” Kimmel said about the special bond he had with Escobedo. “We didn’t have to say anything. We’d sit here at rehearsal every day. We didn’t have to look at each other. I knew he was thinking about looking at me, and I was thinking about looking at him. We look at each other like this, and that would be it.”
Kimmel also recalled that they both were fans of David Letterman and how it was “a really big deal for both of us,” when he made his first appearance in 1999.
The comedian called Escobedo a child prodigy, praising him for his saxophone-playing skills. Kimmel noted that Escobedo would end up working with Paula Abdul on tour.
When Kimmel finally got the job as the ABC late-night talk show host, he pitched Escobedo to be the leader of the in-house band, which Kimmel wrote about in his Instagram post earlier today, too. Kimmel added that “the single best thing about doing this show was getting the opportunity” to bring Escobedo and his father together in a band as he had put his career on pause to focus on raising his son.
“Everyone loves Cleto. Everyone here at the show — we are devastated by this,” Kimmel said, breaking out in tears. “It’s just not fair. He was the nicest, most humble, kind, and always funny person.”
Kimmel joked that Cleto “loved to show his ass to others,” and kept the tradition of mooning since they were kids.
“Even though I’m heartbroken to lose him, I’m going to take yet another lesson from him and acknowledge how lucky I was to have him at my side for so many years,” he said.
Kimmel said they were going to take a couple of nights off, but wanted to be there to remember his friend.
Earlier today, Kimmel shared a post on Instagram as a tribute to Escobedo following his death.
“Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,” Kimmel wrote on social media. “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.”
The late-night talk show host is not the only one remembering Escobedo. Paula Abdul also took to social media to memorialize the musician and share a video performing alongside him.
“My heart is heavy today as we say goodbye to the incredible Cleto Escobedo III,” Abdul posted on Instagram. “I first met Cleto when he was playing sax in a small bar at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. I was putting together my band for my first world tour and the moment I heard him, I knew I had to hire him, even though he didn’t have any touring experience yet.”
She continued, “His talent and energy were undeniable, and he went on to have an amazing career, reuniting with his best friend Jimmy Kimmel as the bandleader on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Cleto was pure light and soul, both on and off stage. Sending so much love to his family and everyone who loved him.”
