Cleto Escobedo III, the band leader for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and a close friend of the host, died Tuesday morning at the age of 59.

Kimmel shared the news in a post on social media , describing Escobedo as “a great friend, father, son, musician and man.”

“To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement,” Kimmel writes in the post. “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. Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers.”

People reports Kimmel opened Tuesday night’s show by talking about the death of Cleto, fighting through tears.

“We’ve been on the air for almost 23 years and I’ve had to do some hard monol

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