Jimmy Kimmel's bandleader Cleto Escobedo III dies

Cleto Escobedo attends as Keep Memory Alive hosts star-studded lineup at annual 'Power of Love' gala at MGM Grand Garden Arena on February 22, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive)

By Mason Leib

November 11, 2025 at 5:25 pm EST

Jimmy Kimmel's bandleader, and childhood friend, Cleto Escobedo III died on Tuesday morning, Kimmel announced on social media.

Escobedo, who led the band Cleto and the Cletones on Kimmel's show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, was 59.

"Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III," wrote Kimmel in an Instagram post on Tuesday. "To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old."

Kimmel continued, "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."

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