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Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel’s Bandleader, Dies at 59

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Cleto Escobedo III, the saxophonist who led the house band Cleto and the Cletones on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show and who had been a childhood friend of Jimmy Kimmel, died on Tuesday at 59. Jimmy Kimmel announced the news on his Instagram account but did not disclose a cause or the place of death. Escobedo had led the Cletones since Jimmy Kimmel Live! began in 2003 and was a visible presence on the show for more than two decades. He is survived by his parents, his wife Lori, and his children, Cruz and Jesse.

Key Takeaways

  • Cleto Escobedo III died on November 11, 2025, at age 59; the cause and location were not announced.
  • He led the house band Cleto and the Cletones on Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the show’s 2003 launch through 2025.
  • Escobedo and Jimmy Kimmel were childhood friends from Las Vegas and remained close through their careers.
  • Born August 23, 1966, in Las Vegas, he was the only child of Sylvia Escobedo and Cleto Escobedo Jr., the latter also a saxophonist who later joined the Cletones.
  • Escobedo studied at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, began performing on the Las Vegas Strip, and earned major touring roles after a 1990 audition for Paula Abdul.
  • He toured with artists including Luis Miguel and Marc Anthony before joining Jimmy Kimmel’s program at Kimmel’s invitation.
  • Family participation on the show was notable: his father performed alongside him, a rare father-son presence on late-night television.

Background

Escobedo grew up in a musical household in Las Vegas. Born on August 23, 1966, he credited his father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., a working saxophonist, with inspiring his early interest in music. He recalled seeing his father perform in Hawaii at age five as a formative experience that drew him to the saxophone and live performance.

While a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Escobedo began gigging along the Strip, a common proving ground for musicians in Las Vegas. His first major break came in 1990 when he secured an audition for Paula Abdul’s touring band, leading to a world tour and a recording opportunity with Virgin Records. Those engagements helped him build a résumé that later included tours with Luis Miguel and Marc Anthony.

Main Event

The professional partnership that defined much of Escobedo’s public life began with a personal bond: he and Jimmy Kimmel were friends from childhood in Las Vegas. Kimmel hired Escobedo to lead the house band when he was offered his own show on ABC in 2003. According to Kimmel, he lobbied for Escobedo’s inclusion and brought network executives to see the band perform live before the show premiered.

Cleto and the Cletones became a fixture on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing nightly and shaping the program’s musical identity. Over the years the ensemble also included Escobedo’s father at Kimmel’s suggestion, turning the band into a family presence on late-night television. That arrangement drew attention as a rare example of parent-and-child performers in a late-night house band.

Public recognition of their long friendship and working relationship surfaced frequently. Kimmel marked Escobedo’s 50th birthday on air and often referenced their decades of mischief and camaraderie dating back to their youth. For many viewers, Escobedo was as recognizable for his onstage chemistry with Kimmel as for his playing.

Analysis & Implications

Escobedo’s death removes a familiar figure from an institution that blends comedy and live music. House bands in late-night television serve multiple roles: musical support, comedic foil, and a human anchor that links a show to tradition. The Cletones performed those functions for nearly the entire run of Kimmel’s program, giving viewers a consistent musical voice.

Beyond television, Escobedo’s career reflects the mobility of skilled session and touring musicians who move between commercial tours, studio work, and broadcast platforms. His resume, spanning pop tours and a long-term television residency, illustrates a common career path for accomplished instrumentalists who balance live performance and media visibility.

Institutionally, the Kimmel show will confront programming and leadership decisions in the short term: how to preserve the musical brand of the program, whether to retain the Cletones name and arrangements, and how to honor Escobedo’s role. For fans and colleagues, the immediate impact is personal loss; for production teams, it is both a human and logistical matter.

Reactions & Quotes

Jimmy Kimmel announced Escobedo’s death on Instagram and reflected on their lifelong bond. The post underlined a friendship that began in childhood and extended into daily collaboration on television.

Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was 9 years old.

Jimmy Kimmel, Instagram post

Escobedo often pointed to his father’s influence when discussing his musical path, describing moments from his early childhood that drew him to performance.

There was music everywhere; I remember watching my dad play in Hawaii when I was 5 and being moved to tears by the music.

Cleto Escobedo III, interview

The elder Escobedo spoke about the joy of performing with his son on television and the family dimension of the band’s presence on late-night TV.

I’m in seventh heaven every night… I’m playing music with my son on a show with my other son.

Cleto Escobedo Jr., San Antonio Express-News, 2013

Unconfirmed

  • The cause of Cleto Escobedo III’s death has not been publicly confirmed.
  • The exact location where he died was not specified in the announcement and has not been independently verified.

Bottom Line

Cleto Escobedo III’s passing removes a long-serving musical leader from a prominent late-night stage and marks the end of a decades-long creative partnership with Jimmy Kimmel rooted in childhood friendship. His work bridged touring and television, and the Cletones became a recognizable element of Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s identity since 2003.

In the near term, colleagues and viewers will mourn a familiar performer and consider how the show will honor his contribution. In a broader sense, Escobedo’s career underscores the influence of house bands in shaping the character of broadcast entertainment and the role of family and mentorship in musical careers.

Sources

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