Jimmy Kimmel honored Cleto Escobedo III, his childhood friend and the bandleader of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” who died Tuesday at age 59.
Escobedo, who had led Cleto and the Cletones since the show’s 2003 debut, had been part of Kimmel’s life since childhood.
Born Aug. 23, 1966, in Las Vegas, Escobedo grew up in a musical family, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
His father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., was a saxophonist for the 1960s rock and soul band Los Blues and later joined his son as a member of the Cletones.
After graduating from high school and attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Escobedo began performing with the band Santa Fe before touring with Paula Abdul.
He formed Cleto and the Cletones in 1995 with guitarist Toshi Yanagi, bassist Jimmy Earl, keyboardist Jeff Babko, and drummer Jonathan Dresel.
When “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” launched in 2003, Escobedo and his father became fixtures of the show’s nightly lineup.
During Tuesday’s broadcast, Kimmel delivered an emotional monologue remembering Escobedo as both a gifted musician and a lifelong friend.
Calling it “the hardest” monologue he had ever given, Kimmel recounted their friendship, which began when his family moved across the street from the Escobedos in Las Vegas.
“We had so many adventures,” Kimmel said. “We would laugh so hard. We had our own language that almost no one else understood. We didn’t have to say anything. We’d sit here at rehearsal every day. We didn’t have to look at each other. I knew he was thinking about looking at me and I was thinking about looking at him. We look at each other like this and that would be it.”
Kimmel described Escobedo as “a child prodigy” whose saxophone performances drew standing ovations as early as junior high.
When Kimmel was hired by ABC to host his own late-night show in 2002, he said there was never any question about who would lead the band.
“The idea that anyone other than him would lead the band was terrifying. It had to be him,” Kimmel said. “I was so scared they would say no and I would have to have another band.”
He recalled that Escobedo and his father auditioned for the network by performing “Pick Up the Pieces” by Average White Band.
“Lloyd saw it. He saw the father and son together. He said, ‘I love it.’ And he just got up and left,” Kimmel said. “And we’ve been working together every day for almost 23 years now.”
Kimmel added that one of the greatest rewards of hosting the show was helping Escobedo Jr. return to music.
“I’ve often said that the single best thing about doing this show was getting the opportunity to allow Cleto Senior to pick up where he left off in 1966 and become a musician again with his son,” he said.
The host said the entire “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” staff was mourning the loss.
“Everyone here at the show, we are devastated,” Kimmel said.
The show will take several nights off following Escobedo’s passing.
“Even though I’m heartbroken to lose him,” Kimmel added, “I’m going to take yet another lesson from him and acknowledge how lucky I was to have him literally at my side for so many years.”
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