Cleto Escobedo III, a childhood friend of comedian Jimmy Kimmel who served as leader of the house band on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” died of cardiogenic shock, according to a published report.
Escobedo, 59, died on Nov. 11, Kimmel announced in an Instagram post. He did not cite a cause or say where Escobedo died.
The cause of the saxophonist’s death was reported on Friday by TMZ, which said it had obtained the musician’s death certificate. The outlet reported that the death certificate was filed in Los Angeles County.
According to the Mayo Clinic, cardiogenic shock occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. The rare condition is most often caused by a large or severe heart attack, the Mayo Clinic said. It can be deadly if not treated immediately.
According to TMZ, underlying causes for Escobedo’s death included vasodilatory shock, also known as blood vessel dilation or distributive shock; disseminated intravascular coagulation, a rare but serious condition of blood clotting that blocks blood flow to organs; and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. There were also contributing factors such as sepsis, graft versus host disease, immunosuppressed, chronic kidney disease and pneumonia, the celebrity news outlet reported.
Kimmel said he met Escobedo in 1977 after moving to Las Vegas from Brooklyn, New York, when they became neighbors. He added that they had been “inseparable” since Kimmel was 9 years old.
Escobedo and his group, Cleto and the Cletones, have been the house band on Kimmel’s show since the late-night television show first aired in 2003.
Escobedo played the alto, tenor and soprano saxophones and also sang as part of Kimmel’s house band. Through the years, he toured with Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Phillip Bailey. Escobedo’s father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., is also a part of the Kimmel show’s house band.
©2025 Cox Media Group
Sign Up
