Jimmy Kimmel pays emotional tribute after childhood pal and bandleader Cleto Escobedo III's death

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A heartbroken Jimmy Kimmel announced the death of his longtime friend and 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III, who died on Tuesday, November 11 at age 59.

The loss explains why Kimmel abruptly canceled his show last Thursday. On November 6, he was seen outside a Los Angeles hospital, sharing emotional hugs with Escobedo’s father, Cleto Escobedo Jr, a musician in his father’s band, Cleto and the Cletones.

Jimmy Kimmel announces death of his childhood friend Cleto Escobedo III

Jimmy Kimmel announced the death of his longtime friend and 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III, in an Instagram post shared nine hours ago. “Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,” Kimmel wrote.

He described the depth of his grief, “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old.” Kimmel added, “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 the post with a heartfelt request, “Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers."

Cletones keyboardist Jeff Babko, 53, told the Daily Mail that concerns for Escobedo III’s health were “probably justified.”

Cleto Escobedo III, 59, is survived by his 16-year-old daughter, a younger son, and a pet pit bull. 

Kimmel’s childhood friendship with Escobedo in Las Vegas left a lasting impression on the talk show star, so much so that he named his production company, Meadow Lark Lane Productions, after the street where they grew up.

Jimmy Kimmel pays emotional tribute to his friend on his late night show

Jimmy Kimmel opened Tuesday’s episode of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' with an emotional tribute to Cleto Escobedo III. Fighting back tears, Kimmel said, “We’ve been on the air for almost 23 years, and I’ve had to do some hard monologues along the way. But this one’s the hardest because late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was much too young to go, and I’d like to tell you about him. If you don’t mind.”

As Kimmel shared memories of their lifelong friendship, photos of the two friends from childhood in Las Vegas appeared on screen. Escobedo’s father, who played in Kimmel’s band, and his mother were also in the audience. “There was a boy who lived on my block,” Kimmel recalled. “He lived across the street and two houses over. He was a little over a year older than me. His name was Cleto, but we all called him junior."

He recalled, "Eventually, we met and became friends. And not just regular friends. We became 24/7, ‘Mom, please let me sleep over, please,’ kind of friends. One summer, I slept over at the Escobedo house 33 nights in a row. My mother used to make me get down on my knees and beg to sleep at his house in front of him. And I would gladly do it, because we were never bored. We were always up to something."

Kimmel remembered their childhood adventures and explained how he brought Escobedo onto the show. When the show started in 2003, Escobedo was Kimmel’s first choice to lead the band, even though his pitch, “‘My best friend from growing up plays the saxophone, he could lead the band,’ didn’t sound good."

But Escobedo and his father impressed during their audition, playing 'Pick Up the Pieces' by the Average White Band. “Lloyd saw it. He saw the father and son. He said, ‘I love it!’ And he got up and left. And we’ve been working together every day for almost 23 years,” Kimmel said.

Kimmel added, “Everyone here at the show we are devastated by this. It’s just not fair. He was the nicest, most humble, kind and always funny person.”

 He thanked the audience and announced that 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' will take the next couple of nights off to mourn Escobedo’s death.