Jimmy Kimmel and late-night fans are grieving the loss of Cleto Escobedo III, the beloved musical director of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 59.
According to his death certificate, Escobedo died of cardiogenic shock, which prevented his heart from pumping enough blood to sustain life. Underlying conditions included vasodilatory shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, with contributing factors like sepsis, graft-versus-host disease, immunosuppression, chronic kidney disease, and pneumonia, TMZ reports.
After missing an episode last week due to a “personal matter,” Kimmel returned to pay a heartfelt tribute to his lifelong friend on-air.
“Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician, and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,” Kimmel wrote on Instagram.
“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.”
Escobedo had been with Jimmy Kimmel Live! since its 2003 premiere, leading the show’s in-house band, Cleto and the Cletones, and leaving a lasting mark on late-night television.
Fans, colleagues, and viewers alike are sharing their condolences as the Kimmel family mourns a true musical legend. 🎵💔
