Cleto Escobedo III , the leader of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! house band, has died. The saxophonist, who led the late-night TV show’s group, Cleto and the Cletones, from its inception in 2003, was host Jimmy Kimmel’s childhood friend since elementary school in Las Vegas. A cause of death has not been announced. Escobedo was 59 years old.

“Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,” Kimmel wrote yesterday on Instagram . “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. 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 paren

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