CLETO Escobedo III, the saxophonist and leader of the house band on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has died at age 59.
Host Jimmy Kimmel announced the death Tuesday in a heartfelt Instagram post, calling Escobedo “a great friend, father, son, musician and man.”
Kimmel, 57, wrote: “Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III.
“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,” he continued.
Kimmel ended his message with a plea to “cherish your friends” and to keep Escobedo’s family “in your prayers.”
Escobedo had led Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s house band since the show’s debut in 2003, performing alongside Kimmel nightly for more than two decades.
Escobedo’s cause of death has not been released.
He had been quietly absent from the show for months before his death.
Variety reported that Jimmy Kimmel Live! canceled its taping last Thursday due to Escobedo’s condition.
The musician fronted Cleto and the Cletones on the ABC late-night show since its 2003 premiere.
His father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., also plays in the band, which performs during the show’s tapings in Los Angeles.
Before joining Kimmel on television, Escobedo toured with Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Kimmel and Escobedo’s friendship stretched back decades to their childhood in Las Vegas, where they grew up across the street from each other and stayed close through college and adulthood.
In a 2015 interview with ABC, Kimmel recalled pushing for Escobedo to lead his band.
“Of course I wanted great musicians, but I wanted somebody I had chemistry with,” Kimmel said.
“And there’s nobody in my life I have better chemistry with than him.”
Escobedo once reflected on that loyalty in a 2014 interview with the San Fernando Sun.
He said: “Jimmy is very loyal to his friends.
“He didn’t have to ask me; I would have understood if he had hired some famous guy to be his musical director.
“But he trusted me, and I don’t take it for granted.”
He added: “For me, as the father of young children, this is the perfect job. I can do other things if I want.
“But I want to stay here as long as they will have me. I will always stay by Jimmy’s side.”