Jimmy Kimmel gave a heartfelt eulogy to his childhood friend Cleto Escobedo III on Tuesday.

59-year-old Escobedo, who was also Kimmel’s longtime band leader on the show, passed away Tuesday morning from liver transplant complications. Kimmel first broke the news on his Instagram page, writing, “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement.”

At the end of his monologue, Kimmel tearfully noted that his show would “take the next couple of nights off” to grieve the sudden loss.

He added, “But I’m going to be here tonight to tell you about my friend. And also Cleto loved [tonight’s guest] Eddie Murphy a lot, and I don’t think he would have wanted us to miss this.”

Kimmel choked up while telling viewers about Escobedo’s life. He shared how he and Escobedo grew up next to each other a

See Full Page