Cleto Escobedo III, a saxophonist whose childhood friendship with the comedian Jimmy Kimmel led to a decades-long role as the leader of the house band on Mr. Kimmel’s late night show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” died on Tuesday. He was 59.
Mr. Kimmel announced the death on Instagram. He did not cite a cause or say where Mr. Escobedo died.
Mr. Escobedo’s band, Cleto and the Cletones, has been with “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” since the show’s inception in 2003, but his association with Mr. Kimmel dated to their time growing up together in Las Vegas.
“Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was 9 years old,” Mr. Kimmel wrote on Instagram. “The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true.”
In a 2013 interview with Variety, Mr. Kimmel recalled that Mr. Escobedo was a “musical prodigy.”
“When ABC offered me my show, I prayed that they’d let me hire Cleto, and to my amazement they agreed, sight unseen,” Mr. Kimmel said. To ensure that the network would stick with the band, Mr. Kimmel said he took ABC executives to see Mr. Escobedo’s ensemble play live.
“They were blown away, and they loved the idea that he’s my best friend and that his dad’s also in the band,” Mr. Kimmel told Variety.
A full obituary will follow.
Sopan Deb is a Times reporter covering breaking news and culture.
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