Jimmy Kimmel Live! was hit by tragedy this week when bandleader Cleto Escobedo III died from an undisclosed illness. “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement,” Kimmel said in a statement. “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.” (Watch Kimmel’s 22-minute monologue tribute here .) The gig was also a dream for Jimmy Kimmel Live ! keyboardist/musical arranger Jeff Babko , who worked alongside Escobedo for over 30 years, and considered him one of his closest friends. Babko hopped on the phone with Rolling Stone to look back at their time together.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen television like Jimmy’s monologue the other night. It wa

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