Jimmy Kimmel
Tearfully Honors Bandleader Cleto Escobedo
Revealed
Jimmy Kimmel broke down in tears as he honored his late good friend and “Jimmy Kimmel Stay!” band chief Cleto Escobedo III throughout Tuesday night time’s present, simply hours after asserting his surprising loss of life.
Take a look at the heartfelt tribute — the late night time TV host remembered Cleto not solely as a formidable musician who was a staple to the present for over 2 many years, however as certainly one of his closest associates.
Jimmy recalled assembly Cleto and robotically clicking with him after his mother and father moved their household from Brooklyn, New York to Las Vegas, Nevada when he was a child. He mentioned they have been like brothers, mainly inseparable — and even claimed he as soon as slept over Cleto’s home “33 nights in a row.”
In fact, Jimmy gushed over Cleto’s musical prowess, calling him a “baby prodigy who would get standing ovations in junior highschool.” So, when Jimmy landed ‘Stay!’ in 2003 … he mentioned he knew precisely who to name to steer the band.
Cleto was the chief of Cleto and the Cletones for practically 23 years, although he was quietly absent from the present in current months after falling ailing. His father, Cleto Escobedo II, was additionally within the band, enjoying the tenor and alto saxophone.
Jimmy mentioned Cleto’s father influenced him to develop into a musician — after halting his skilled profession to boost his household.
He raved … “I’ve usually mentioned that the one neatest thing about doing this present was getting the chance to permit Cleto Senior to select up the place he left off in 1966 and develop into a musician once more together with his son.”
The late musician as soon as mentioned he picked up an instrument due to his dad, and praised him for the sacrifices he made as a father, noting in a 2021 featurette … “I play sax as a result of he performed sax once I was a child … Once I began going to highschool, he give up enjoying simply so he may very well be dwelling with me and acquired a job as a busboy at Caesar’s Palace and labored there for 30 years.”
Cleto’s mom, Sylvia, was within the viewers in the course of the 20-minute monologue.
Jimmy introduced his gifted good friend’s loss of life on Instagram Tuesday. Though the present went on, he instructed the viewers the Wednesday and Thursday broadcasts could be canceled.
It’s not clear how Cleto died.
He was 59.
RIP
