Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to the air on November 17 following its hiatus after the death of bandleader, and Jimmy Kimmel's best friend, Cleto Escobedo III. Cleto's death was announced on Tuesday, November 11, and it was revealed that the musician's official cause of death at 59 was cardiogenic shock. Upon the show's return on Monday, a notable change had been made to the opening credits, as the house band was billed simply as The Cletones, instead of their previous moniker, Cleto and the Cletones, according to LateNighter.com.
The change comes after Jimmy explained that the show would go on break "for a couple nights," during his tearful opening monologue on the day Cleto died. Jimmy admitted that he's "had to do some hard monologues" on his show, "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."
During his on-air tribute, Jimmy fought through tears as he spoke about Cleto, who had been his close friend since they were children living in Vegas. Jimmy endearingly talked about their upbringing and how they became lifelong friends. "Not like regular friends, like 24/7 'Mom, please let him sleep over,' like friends." They were inseparable from the moment they met.
Cleo had been the bandleader of the house band since Jimmy Kimmel Live! premiered in 2003. Speaking about his role on the late-night show, Jimmy said: "I wanted Cleto to lead my band. The idea that anyone other than him would lead the band was terrifying. It had to be him. I was so scared they would say no, and I would have to have another band. I had to work up the nerve to bring it up. Because I knew [saying], 'My best friend from growing up plays the saxophone, he could lead the band,' wasn't a great pitch."
He added: "Not only did I want Cleto to lead the band, I wanted his dad to be in the band… We've been working together every day for almost 23 years now… It's just not fair. He was the nicest, most humble, kind and always funny person." Jimmy announced Cleto's death on Instagram ahead of last Tuesday's show, paying a lengthy tribute to the late father of two.
"Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III," he penned. "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 parents in your prayers."
Cause of death
According to Cleto's death certificate, obtained by TMZ on November 14, the late musician's immediate cause of death is listed as cardiogenic shock, with vasodilatory shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver as the underlying causes. Jimmy mentioned in his tribute to Cleto that he'd been suffering from a "long illness" that necessitated extensive care from the UCLA Medical Center.