Jimmy Kimmel Announces the Death of His Bandleader Cleto Escobedo III

After nearly twenty-three years on the air, Jimmy Kimmel walked onto his stage facing one of the hardest moments of his career. His voice carried the weight of heartbreak as he shared the news that his longtime friend and bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III, had passed away much too soon. He hadn’t just lost a bandmate—he’d lost a brother, a partner in laughter, and a piece of his own past.

Jimmy began by taking everyone back to where it all started. In 1977, his family moved from Brooklyn to a brand-new neighborhood in Las Vegas called Spring Valley. The streets were still bare then—just stucco homes and dirt yards. That’s where young Jimmy met the boy who would change his life forever. His name was Cleto, but everyone called him Junior, because his dad, Cleto Sr., was already “the” Cleto in the house.

Jimmy was the goofy kid on the block—riding his bike wearing boxing gloves, his mom’s sunglasses, and a headband. When Cleto first saw him, he thought Jimmy might be a little… off. But soon after, the two became inseparable. They weren’t just friends; they were “please, Mom, let me sleep over one more night” kind of friends. One summer, Jimmy slept at Cleto’s house for thirty-three nights in a row.

Those days were filled with endless adventures—playing wiffle ball in the yard, boxing in the backyard, and making prank calls late into the night with a little suction-cup microphone to record them. They even made their own rap album that, according to Jimmy, was “like the Beastie Boys, except terrible.”

Growing Up Wild and Finding Rhythm

Cleto was always the cooler one. He wore his hair like John Travolta, dressed sharply just for fun, and somehow made even a tie look cool in middle school. Jimmy, naturally, copied him—though he joked that his version was more “John Travolta’s sister.”

When they weren’t playing sports or setting toy cars on fire, Cleto was already deep into music. His father had been a saxophonist in a successful Texas band called Los Blues before giving it up to raise his son. Sammy Davis Jr. once helped Cleto Sr. get a job at Caesars Palace after recognizing him from his band days—a gesture that would later come full circle.

Cleto Jr. inherited that same musical spark. He was a prodigy on the saxophone, earning standing ovations in junior high. Later, Paula Abdul spotted him performing and hired him to tour with her, eventually signing him to a record deal. He released an album, but fame wasn’t really his thing—he preferred real music, the kind you feel, not the kind record companies try to sell.

Even as life took him from smoky lounges to world tours with artists like Luis Miguel and Marc Anthony, Cleto remained the same down-to-earth kid from Meadowlark Lane. He loved playing in local bars just for fun. He was a musician through and through, not a celebrity.

From Neighborhood Kids to Late-Night Legends

Then came 2002. Jimmy got an unexpected call from ABC offering him his own late-night show. When it came time to pick a bandleader, there was no question—it had to be Cleto. The two had grown up idolizing David Letterman and his musical partner Paul Shaffer, and the thought of anyone else leading Jimmy’s band felt wrong.

So Jimmy pitched the idea to ABC: his best friend from childhood, who happened to be an incredible sax player, should lead the band. Cleto brought his dad out of musical retirement to join him. Together, they auditioned by playing “Pick Up the Pieces” by the Average White Band—two saxes in perfect sync. ABC’s executive didn’t even need convincing; he loved it. And just like that, Cleto and his dad became fixtures on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

They played side by side for over two decades—one of the tightest bands, and tightest families, in late-night history. Cleto Sr. even quit his longtime room-service job at Caesars Palace to join the show full-time. It was like getting to relive the dream he’d once set aside.

Cleto’s family—his parents, Sylvia and Cleto Sr.—became extended family for Jimmy too. Sylvia showed up to the studio nearly every day, praying her rosary beads from the audience as if blessing the show herself. The Escobedos weren’t just coworkers—they were family.

About twenty years ago, Cleto met Lori, a waitress from Minnesota. She was the one. They married, had two kids—Jesse and Cruz—and built a beautiful life together. Cleto loved being a dad even more than he loved music, which said a lot.

Brothers for Life

Jimmy spoke about Cleto the way you talk about someone who shaped your life. He laughed through tears, remembering their childhood pranks—Cleto mooning people from the back of Jimmy’s mom’s station wagon, or the time he left a condom wrapper in Jimmy’s parents’ bed, causing a truly unforgettable confrontation.

They grew up side by side, from neighborhood goofballs to adults chasing their dreams. Even when their lives changed—when Jimmy’s name went up in lights—Cleto never showed an ounce of jealousy. He was proud. He’d send Jimmy notes all the time, telling him how lucky he felt that they got to do it all together. They were best men at each other’s weddings, godfathers to each other’s kids, and partners in mischief right up to the end. Cleto was the kind of friend who showed up every day, who never took anything for granted, and who made everyone around him laugh—often by pulling his pants down at the worst possible moment.

Jimmy shared one of the most touching parts of their story—how Cleto taught him to see humor in his own family. As a kid, Jimmy used to get embarrassed when his Aunt Chippy and Uncle Frank would argue nonstop. Cleto found them hilarious and helped Jimmy realize that their banter was comedy gold. Years later, both became beloved parts of Jimmy Kimmel Live! thanks to Cleto’s eye for humor.

When Uncle Frank was sick, Cleto visited him in the hospital every day, even when it meant going out of his way. Uncle Frank adored him and used to say, “Junior, when you’re on stage, you sparkle.” Fittingly, Uncle Frank passed away on Cleto’s birthday—and years later, Cleto passed away on Uncle Frank’s. It felt like their lives were somehow intertwined right to the end.

A Lasting Legacy

As Jimmy wrapped up his emotional tribute, he thanked the doctors and nurses who cared for Cleto during his final months, and the friends, neighbors, and colleagues who rallied around his family. He saved his biggest thanks for Cleto’s parents—for raising a man who made everyone’s life brighter.

Jimmy closed with a reminder that felt as much for himself as for everyone watching: “Cherish your friends. We’re not here forever.”

He promised to take the next couple of nights off but stayed that evening to honor his friend, because—as he said with a small smile—“Cleto loved Eddie Murphy, and he wouldn’t have wanted us to miss this.”

And that’s how Jimmy Kimmel said goodbye—not just to a friend, but to the person who had been by his side from the very beginning, who made every laugh a little louder and every moment a little better.