Jimmy Kimmel announced Tuesday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will pause for the remainder of the week following the death of Cleto Escobedo III, the show’s bandleader and Kimmel’s childhood friend. Escobedo was 59.

Kimmel told viewers about the loss during an emotional monologue. “We’ve been on the air for almost 23 years, and I’ve had to do some hard monologues along the way, but this one’s the hardest because late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was much too young,” he said.

Kimmel and Escobedo’s friendship spanned five decades. In an Instagram post shared on Tuesday, Kimmel honored his dear friend. “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old.”

He added, “The fact that we got to wo

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