Jimmy Kimmel breaks down in tears honoring late best friend and bandleader Cleto Escobedo

Jimmy Kimmel breaks down in tears honoring late best friend and bandleader Cleto 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 will uh this one’s the hardest because late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was uh much too young to go. Jimmy Kimmel broke down in tears while paying tribute to his childhood best friend, Cleo Escobido III, who passed away this week. Kimmel shared how he and Escobido became inseparable after they met his neighbors in Spring Valley, Nevada in 1977. There was a boy who lived on my block. He lived across the street and two houses over. And I’m sorry, he was he was a little bit older than me. He was a year older than me. His name was Cleo, but we all called him Junior. Kimmel also gushed over his late pal’s musical skills, saying Escobido was a child prodigy who would get standing ovations in junior high school. When Kimmel started his autonomous talk show in January 2003, he called Escobido to lead the band. I mean, everyone loves Cleo. He’s everyone here at the show. We are devastated by this. It’s not It’s just not fair. During Kimmel’s heartbreaking 20-minute tribute, Cleto’s mother, Sylvia Escobido, was in the audience as the late musician’s father, Cleto Escobido II, was on stage playing with the band. As Page 6 reported, Cleto died after complications stemming from a liver transplant. He was 59. We were told that the band leader was hospitalized last week and Kimmel canceled his taping November 6th at the last minute to be by his friend’s side. Cleto was the leader of his band Cleo and the Cleones for nearly 23 years. His father played the tenor and alto saxophone alongside his son. Due to Kimmel’s heartbreaking loss, he has canceled his late night talk show on Wednesday and Thursday.

Jimmy Kimmel broke down in tears while paying tribute to his childhood best friend, Cleto Escobedo III, after his death. “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 to go,” the emotional comedian told his audience on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

Kimmel then shared how he and Escobedo became inseparable after they met as neighbors in Spring Valley, Nev., in 1977.

#jimmykimmel #cletoescobedo

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