Jimmy Kimmel is mourning the loss of his longtime friend and Jimmy Kimmel Live! bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III, who has died at the age of 59.
On Tuesday, November 11, the American television host shared in an Instagram post to announce the sad news.
"Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III," Kimmel wrote.
He added, "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."
In 2016, Kimmel marked Escobedo’s 50th birthday with a heartfelt segment, reminiscing about their childhood friendship — including memories of riding in Cleto’s sidecar bike that often ended with crashes into garbage cans and bushes.
Escobedo "on the lawn with his BB gun just shooting at me" and that they would steal his dad's shotgun and "shoot kites out of the sky," the host shared.
Before recalling a prank a teenage Escobedo would play in the back of Kimmel's mom's car, "Cleto would quietly, in the back, slip out of his pants and moon people from the back of our car."
Cleto and the Cletones have performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! since its 2003 debut, with Cleto’s father, Cleto Escobedo Sr., also part of the band on saxophone.
