During a taping of Tuesday\u2019s Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/a>, Kimmel got emotional when he told the audience, \u201cI’ve had to do some hard monologues along the way, but this will this one’s the hardest because late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was much too young to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Kimmel, 57, said the two worked together on his show every day for almost 23 years. <\/p>\n \u201cHe was proud of me. He loved me. He loved seeing all of this happen, being a part of it. He never took it for granted,\u201d the comedian said of his friend.<\/p>\n Kimmel said he and his team will be taking the next couple of nights off. It\u2019s unclear when Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel started his Tuesday night monologue with a tearful tribute to one of his oldest friends \u2014 his show’s bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III (Kevin Winter\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Kimmel announced the death of Escobedo on Instagram earlier Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cEarly this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,\u201d Kimmel wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cTo 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. <\/p>\n \u201cCherish your friends and please keep Cleto\u2019s wife, children and parents in your prayers,\u201d Kimmel concluded.<\/p>\n Escobedo\u2019s cause of death has not been released. He was quietly absent from the show for months before his death. <\/p>\n Kimmel\u2019s show was canceled last Thursday due to Escobedo\u2019s condition, according to Variety<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Independent has reached out to Kimmel\u2019s show for comment.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Escobedo was 59 when he died. His cause of death wasn’t immediately known (Ethan Miller\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n The musician fronted Cleto and the Cletones on the late-night talk show since its premiere in 2003. His dad, Cleto Escobedo Jr., is also a member of the band and plays tenor and alto saxophones on the show, which is taped in Los Angeles<\/a>.<\/p>\n Before his late-night gig, the composer was known for touring with Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony, and Earth, Wind and Fire. After Kimmel and Escobedo became friends while growing up across the street from each other in their hometown of Las Vegas<\/a>, the pair remained close throughout college and their young adult years.<\/p>\n![\"Late-night](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2234218792.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Escobedo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cleto-Escobedo-III.jpeg\")
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