Comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is mourning the death of one of his closest friends, Cleto Escobedo III, musician and the show’s bandleader of Cleto and the Cletones, who died Tuesday at the age of 59.

Kimmel confirmed the news on social media before his tribute to his friend on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

On Tuesday, Kimmel shared the news in an Instagram post, writing, “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.”

The 57-year-old later opened his show with a tearful tribute to Escobedo. “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 said at the start of the show.

Kimmel then reminisced on how they met, their lifelong friendship, and Escobedo’s career as a professional musician who later became his bandleader. He said everyone was “devastated” over his death.

“Everyone loves Cleto… everyone here at the show,” Kimmel later said. “We are devastated by this. It’s not… It’s just not fair.”

Why did Kimmel cancel the next two episodes of the show?

Kimmel also announced that Wednesday and Thursday’s episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! were canceled.  “We’re going to take the next couple of nights off,” he said, later adding that he and his staff went through with Tuesday’s episode because Escobedo would not want them to miss out on interviewing legendary actor Eddie Murphy, according to People.

Escobedo played in the band alongside his father, Cleto Escobedo Sr., who continues to perform on tenor and alto saxophone. He performed Tuesday night’s episode with his wife, Escobedo’s mother, in the audience.

From childhood friends in Las Vegas to professionals in their respective fields, Kimmel and Escobedo shared a bond that went beyond family.

Kimmel and Escobedo’s friendship as well as his musical career, explained

“We just met one day on the street, and there were a few kids on the street, and him and I just became really close friends, and we kind of had the same sense of humor. We just became pals, and we’ve been pals ever since,” Escobedo said in a 2022 interview for Texas Tech University’s Southwest Collection oral history archive, according to CNN. They were also huge fans of comedian and talk show host David Letterman.

During Escobedo’s career as a professional saxophonist, he worked with artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire’s Phillip Bailey and Paula Abdul. He recorded with Marc Anthony, Tom Scott and Take Six, per CNN. It wasn’t until 2003 that he traded touring sessions with top artists for a spot in Kimmel’s house band during the show’s launch 2003.

“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,” Kimmel concluded in his Instagram post.

Escobedo is survived by his wife, Lori, and their two children.