Following the passing of his dear friend and long-serving band leader, Kimmel took a short break from his talk show duties.
WASHINGTON — Making his way back to the late-night TV scene, Jimmy Kimmel resumed hosting duties on Monday after stepping away for a few days due to the loss of Cleto Escobedo III, a cherished friend and musical collaborator.
During Monday’s episode, Kimmel welcomed guests Samuel L. Jackson and Ms. Pat Kimmel, marking his return to the ABC platform after his brief absence. Escobedo, who skillfully led the house band Cleto and the Cletones, passed away on November 11.
The episode paid tribute to Escobedo with the band being announced as the Cletones.
Last week, Kimmel dedicated a heartfelt monologue to his lifelong friend.
“In nearly 23 years on air, I’ve delivered some challenging monologues,” Kimmel expressed, his voice breaking on November 11. “But today is the toughest because late last night, early this morning, we said goodbye to someone truly remarkable, taken from us far too soon.”
Kimmel said he and Escobedo, 53, had been “inseparable” since childhood, growing up on the same block in Las Vegas.
“There’s no one in my life I felt more comfortable with,” Kimmel said at the time. “There were thousands of houses for sale in Vegas. My parents happened to buy one that was right across the street from this kid that I would just fit together with so perfectly.”
He described Escobedo as “a great older brother” and “all love.”
Escobedo died of cardiogenic shock, a condition where the heart cannot pump sufficient blood through the body, according to the death certificate. The document also cited underlying causes, including vasodilatory shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, according to TMZ, which obtained the death certificate. Escobedo died at UCLA Medical Center following complications related to a liver transplant, according to Rolling Stone.
Additional contributing factors listed on the certificate included sepsis, graft versus host disease, immunosuppression, chronic kidney disease and pneumonia.
Escobedo had led the show’s house band, Cleto and the Cletones, since the program’s debut in 2003. He performed alongside his father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., creating a rare father-son partnership in late-night television.
Before joining Kimmel’s show, Escobedo toured as a saxophonist with Paula Abdul and recorded studio albums. He also worked with Marc Anthony, Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey and other prominent artists.
The Las Vegas native met Kimmel when Kimmel’s family moved across the street from his in 1977. Their friendship spanned nearly five decades.
Escobedo is survived by his wife, Lori, and their two children, Cruz and Jesse.
Megan Divers contributed to this report.
