Jimmy Kimmel’s best friend and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” band leader, Cleto Escobedo III, died at age 59 on Tuesday.
Paula Abdul is mourning the loss of the late Cleto Escobedo.
After the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” bandleader died on Tuesday at the age of 59, the singer, 63, paid tribute to the musician.
“My heart is heavy today as we say goodbye to the incredible Cleto Escobedo III,” Abdul wrote via Instagram on Wednesday alongside footage of the pair performing together while on tour. Escobedo played sax for the pop star.
“I first met Cleto when he was playing sax in a small bar at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas,” the dancer recounted. “I was putting together my band for my first world tour and the moment I heard him, I knew I had to hire him, even though he didn’t have any touring experience yet.”
Abdul called his energy and talent “undeniable,” adding that “he went on to have an amazing career, reuniting with his best friend Jimmy Kimmel as the bandleader on Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“Cleto was pure light and soul, both on and off stage,” the former “American Idol” judge concluded. “Sending so much love to his family and everyone who loved him.”
Kimmel revealed the news of Escobedo’s death in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday.
“Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,” the 57-year-old wrote.
“To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old. The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true,” Kimmel continued. “Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers.”
A cause of death was not announced, but Page Six reported that Escobedo had complications stemming from a liver transplant.
