Jimmy Kimmel Live! bandleader Cleto Escobedo dies at age 59
The official cause has not been publicly confirmed by Escobedo's family or ABC. However, reports indicate that he was hospitalized the previous week due to complications from a recent liver transplant, which may have contributed to his death.
Cleto Escobedo
Cleto Escobedo, longtime music director of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show and a childhood friend of the host, died Tuesday at 59.
Kimmel shared the news on Instagram and delivered an emotional monologue on that night’s show, visibly moved as he recalled the friendship that had bonded them since they were nine years old.
The official cause has not been publicly confirmed by Escobedo's family or ABC. However, reports indicate that he was hospitalized the previous week due to complications stemming from a recent liver transplant, which may have contributed to his death.
Born on August 23, 1966 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Escobedo was a prodigy saxophonist who was taught by his father, Cleto Escobedo Jr. a former musician at Caesars Palace.
The musician met Kimmel in 1977, when their families lived across the street; the two bonded over music and mischief, and even formed a children's band. Early in his career, Escobedo worked with Paula Abdul on her 1990 tour and performed at Las Vegas venues.
In 2003, when Jimmy Kimmel Live! was launched, Escobedo joined as the leader of Cleto y los Cletones, co-creating the show's theme song.
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