Cleto Escobedo III, the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” bandleader, died Tuesday morning, the late-night host announced.

In posts on social media, Jimmy Kimmel described Escobedo as a “great friend, father, son, musician and man.” He urged his followers to keep Escobedo's family in their thoughts.

“Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old,” Kimmel wrote. “The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true.”

The news comes after Kimmel postponed a show taping last week for a “personal matter.”

Escobedo, a Las Vegas native, has led Cleto and the Cletones for Kimmel's late-night show for more than 20 years. Kimmel moved in across the street from Escobedo in 1977 when the comedian's parents left New York for Sin City.

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