Cleto Escobedo III worked alongside Jimmy Kimmel from the show’s inception in 2003, with the TV host sharing his heartbreak following the death of his close friend
The cause of death of Jimmy Kimmel’s childhood friend, Cleto Escobedo III, has been confirmed.
The 59-year-old musician, who led Cleto and the Cletones, the house band for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, passed away on November 11. He appeared on the show from its inception in 2003 until his death in 2025, having known Jimmy, 58, since they were children.
According to reports, Cleto died “because his heart couldn’t pump enough blood to keep him alive.” TMZ obtained a photo of the band leader’s death certificate, listing cardiogenic shock as the immediate cause of death, with vasodilatory shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver listed as the underlying causes.
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Cardiogenic shock is a life-threatening condition which happens when the heart suddenly can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, the Mayo Clinic explains. TMZ reported that the document also says other conditions that contributed to Cleto’s death included sepsis, graft versus host disease, immunosuppressed, chronic kidney disease, and pneumonia.
According to the publication, Cleto was cremated, with the certificate also noting he was an entertainer who played music for 40 years. He had been absent from Jimmy Kimmel Live! for months after falling ill.
Jimmy confirmed his passing in an emotional Instagram tribute, writing on Tuesday: “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. Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers.”
The comedian then opened his show on Tuesday with what he described as the most difficult monologue of his career. “We’ve been on the air for almost 23 years, and I’ve had to do some hard monologues along the way, but this one’s the hardest because late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was much too young,” he told viewers.
Their friendship began in 1977, when Jimmy’s family moved from Brooklyn in New York City to Las Vegas. They settled in the Spring Valley area, where the young Jimmy met Cleto, who lived just a few doors away.
“He was a year older than me. His name was Cleto, but we called him Junior,” Jimmy said, adding that the two became inseparable. “We had sleepovers constantly. One stretch, I slept at his house 33 nights in a row.”
“He was a phenomenal sax player from a very young age,” he continued. “He was a child prodigy who would get standing ovations in junior high school, if you could believe that.” Cleto’s passion for music came from his father, Cleto Escobedo II, a saxophonist who eventually gave up performing live to support his family.
Years later, he joined his son in Cleto and the Cletones, the in-house band for Jimmy’s show. “When Cleto Jr. became a professional musician, Cleto Senior was thrilled,” Jimmy said. “He got to live vicariously through his son, who started playing in bars, and clubs, and lounges around Las Vegas.”
Following his friend’s passing, Jimmy said his whole team was “devastated” and decided to cancel his shows on Wednesday and Thursday. He also launched two fundraisers – one for the UCLA Medical Center where Cleto received medical care in his final days and another for The Animal Foundation in memory of his love of animals.
