Cleto Escobedo III, Band Leader for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Dead at 59

Jimmy Kimmel announced the passing of Cleto Escobedo III, his bandleader on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, on November 11th. Escobedo was 59 years old. In an Instagram post, Kimmel described Escobedo as a wonderful friend, father, son, and musician, saying the news was devastating. He shared that they had been close since childhood and fulfilling their dream of working together daily was incredible.

Jimmy Kimmel and Marco Escobedo became friends in 1977 after Kimmel’s family moved to Las Vegas. They spent their childhoods getting into mischief, playing music, and pulling pranks – Kimmel remembered Escobedo as an incredibly talented young musician who drew crowds at school. Years later, in 2003, Kimmel hired Escobedo as his bandleader when starting his talk show. Escobedo was actually considering leaving music at the time, but Kimmel’s call changed everything. As Escobedo told Guillermo on On The Red Carpet, Kimmel asked if he wanted the job, and he immediately said yes, calling it “the best gig ever.”

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2025-11-12 03:53