Jimmy Kimmel broke down in tears during an emotional tribute to his longtime friend and bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III.

Kimmel, 57, opened the Tuesday, November 11, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! by remembering Escobedo, who died early Tuesday morning at age 59, and was overcome with emotion as he tried to get through his monologue.

The late-night talk show host said he’s “had to do some hard monologues” over the course of the last 23 years, “but this one’s the hardest, because late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was much too young to go.”

Kimmel then broke down his history with Escobedo, whom he first met when he was 9 years old upon moving from Brooklyn, New York, to Las Vegas.

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