NEED TO KNOW
\nCleto Escobedo III, the leader of the\u00a0Jimmy Kimmel Live!\u00a0house band Cleto and the Cletones, died on Tuesday, Nov. 11Escobedo’s cause of death has been revealedEscobedo and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel were lifelong friends before the former joined the talk show in 2003<\/p>\n
Cleto Escobedo III<\/a>‘s cause of death has been revealed.\n<\/p>\n According to Escodebo’s death certificate, obtained by TMZ<\/a>, cardiogenic shock is listed as the immediate cause of death. Vasodilatory shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver are listed as underlying causes.\n<\/p>\n Other conditions that contributed to the musician’s death were sepsis, graft versus host disease, immunosuppressed, chronic kidney disease and pneumonia, according to the document.\n<\/p>\n Cardiogenic shock is a rare life-threatening condition that happens when the heart can no longer pump enough blood for the body, according to the Mayo Clinic<\/a>. It can be caused by a “large or severe heart attack,” but not everyone who has a heart attack gets cardiogenic shock, the institution notes.\n<\/p>\n The leader of Cleto and the Cletones died on Nov. 11 at the age of 59, lifelong friend Jimmy Kimmel<\/a>\u00a0confirmed via\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n In his caption, Kimmel called Escobedo a “great friend, father, son, musician and man” as he remembered his time as his “longtime bandleader.” Cleto and the Cletones has provided the music for\u00a0Jimmy Kimmel Live!\u00a0since the show’s 2003 premiere.\u00a0<\/p>\n “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement,” Kimmel wrote in a statement at the time. “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.”\n<\/p>\n He added, “Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto\u2019s wife, children and parents in your prayers.”\n<\/p>\n Kimmel previously told\u00a0ABC7<\/a> that his friend \u2014 whose father also performed tenor and alto saxophones\u00a0on Live! \u2014 was a “child prodigy.” He “toured with\u00a0Earth, Wind and Fire<\/a>,\u00a0Paula Abdul<\/a>” and “had his own record deal” before boarding the talk show, Kimmel said, noting that he “had to have” his friend as his band leader.\n<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\n<\/p>\n Kimmel began the episode on Nov. 11 in tears, opening his monologue with a special tribute to Escobedo, calling it the “hardest” one he’s ever had to deliver. He also cancelled the following shows on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13, while Cleto Escobedo Sr. performed in the show’s band on the Nov. 11 taping.<\/p>\n Cleto Escobedo and Jimmy Kimmel on Jan. 25, 2013 in front of the El Capitan Theatre.<\/p>\n Todd Wawrychuk \/ Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty<\/p>\n “Everyone loves Cleto… everyone here at the show,” Kimmel said. “We are devastated by this. It’s not… It’s just not fair.”\n<\/p>\n The musician previously called his time on the show the “best gig ever,” during an ABC\u00a0Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month\u00a0featurette<\/a>\u00a0in 2021.\n<\/p>\n “I play sax because he played sax when I was a kid \u2014 my dad sacrificed a lot for me,” recalled Escobedo. “He was a musician for many years, he was on the road a lot before I was born. And then when I started going to school, he quit playing just so he could be home with me and got a job as a busboy at Caesar’s Palace and worked there for 30 years.”<\/p>\n