Cleto Escobedo III, who led Jimmy Kimmel’s home band, dies at 59 : NPR

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Randy Holmes/Disney by way of Getty Photographs As a child rising up in Las Vegas, Cleto Escobedo and his finest good friend delighted in taking part in pranks collectively.

"We form of had the identical humorousness," he recalled in a 2022 oral historical past interview with Texas Tech College. "We would mess with individuals on the Strip, and if it'd rain, perhaps we might go splash individuals with puddles in my automobile after I was a young person."

They usually watched numerous comedy. "We had been massive David Letterman followers once we had been youngsters," he stated.

Identical to their idol, his good friend, Jimmy Kimmel, grew as much as host a late-night TV present. And Kimmel delivered a heartfelt monologue Tuesday evening paying tribute to Escobedo.

"Late final evening, early this morning, we misplaced somebody very particular, who was a lot too younger to go," Kimmel stated, close to tears. He didn't disclose the reason for Escobedo's demise, however thanked medical doctors and nurses at UCLA Medical Heart for taking good care of his good friend.

"Cleto was an outstanding saxophone participant from a really younger age," Kimmel stated. "He was a toddler prodigy. He would get standing ovations in junior highschool, in the event you can think about that."

Escobedo grew up in a musical family. His father labored for years as knowledgeable musician, and the youthful Escobedo first began learning saxophone in sixth grade, as a result of his father already had an instrument at dwelling. He enrolled on the College of Nevada, Las Vegas, performed in bar bands — "something from nation to Phil Collins," he stated within the oral historical past — and in 1990, efficiently auditioned to tour with famous person Paul Abdul.

"By her, I bought a report take care of Virgin Information," he stated. "It was form of a Latin-y, pop, R&B report. It was form of just like the Latin Explosion report slightly too early. I did some stuff in Spanglish, nevertheless it was extra like a pop, funk-y form of stuff."

Though the album didn't result in a solo profession, Escobedo labored steadily, performing with musicians equivalent to Luis Miguel and Marc Anthony. Kimmel employed Escobedo's band, Cleto and the Cletones, to again him up when ABC launched Jimmy Kimmel Stay! in 2003. The band included Escobedo's father, and the 2, Kimmel stated, had been notably proud to be what they believed to be the one father-son staff performing collectively on late evening tv.

"Everybody loves Cleto," Kimmel stated in his monologue. "Everybody right here on this present is devastated by this. It is simply not truthful. He was the nicest, most humble, type and all the time humorous particular person."

Kimmel expressed sympathy for Escobedo's surviving relations, together with his dad and mom, spouse and two youngsters. He signed off with the phrases: "Cherish your mates."