Cleto Escobedo III death cause: What happened to Jimmy Kimmel’s bandleader and childhood friend

Cleto Escobedo III, the bandleader of Jimmy Kimmel Live! ’s in-house band, Cleto and the Cletones, has died at the age of 59. Host Jimmy Kimmel shared the news on social media on Tuesday, November 11, expressing his deep sorrow over the loss of his lifelong friend.

"Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III," Kimmel wrote. "To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement."

Kimmel went on to reflect on their decades-long friendship, saying, "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."

He concluded by urging fans to “cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers.”

A cause of death has not yet been revealed.

Cleto Escobedo III: The life and legacy of Jimmy Kimmel’s bandleader and childhood friend

Cleto Escobedo III grew up to become a talented professional musician, best known for his skill on the saxophone. Over the years, he toured with renowned artists including Earth, Wind & Fire’s Phillip Bailey and Paula Abdul, and recorded alongside Marc Anthony, Tom Scott and Take Six.

When Jimmy Kimmel launched his ABC late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2003, he immediately wanted Escobedo to lead the in-house band, Cleto and the Cletones.

“Of course I wanted great musicians, but I wanted somebody I had chemistry with,” Kimmel told WABC in 2015. “And there’s nobody in my life I have better chemistry with than him.”

A bond built on laughter and shared memories

In 2016, Kimmel marked Escobedo’s 50th birthday by dedicating a special segment to him, reminiscing about their mischievous childhood together.

“Cleto had a bicycle with a sidecar attached to it. We called it the side hack. I would get in the sidecar and then Cleto would drive me directly into garbage cans and bushes,” Kimmel recalled.

Their friendship, filled with humour and trust, eventually turned into one of television’s most enduring creative partnerships.

A sudden loss and cancelled show

News of Escobedo’s death emerged after Thursday’s episode of *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* was abruptly cancelled. The show had been scheduled to feature David Duchovny, Joe Keery and Madison Beer. The date and cause of Escobedo’s death have not yet been confirmed.

A musical family tradition

Music ran in Escobedo’s family — his father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., also played in the *Jimmy Kimmel Live! house band, performing on tenor and alto saxophones. In January 2022, the father-son duo celebrated nearly twenty years of performing together on screen.

Recalling how it began, Escobedo said in a 2022 interview: “Jimmy asked me, ‘Who are we going to get in the band?’ I said, ‘Well, my normal guys,’ and he knew my guys because he had been coming to see us and stuff before he was famous, just to come support me and whatever. I’d invite him to gigs, and if he didn’t have anything to do he’d come check it out, so he knew my guys,” Escobedo said. “Then he just said, ‘Hey, man, what about your dad? Wouldn’t that be kind of cool?’ I was like, ‘That would be way cool.’”

A career that kept family close

In the same interview, Escobedo reflected on how the bandleader role allowed him to balance music and family life.

“Touring and all that stuff is fun, but it’s more of a young man’s game. Touring, also, too, is not really conducive for family life. I’ve learned over the years, being on the road and watching how hard it is, leaving your kids for so long. Sometimes they’re babies; you come back and then they’re talking, it’s like, ‘What?’” he said.

Escobedo is survived by his wife Lori and their two children.

(With inputs from news agency AP)