Jimmy Kimmel‘s late house bandleader and friend, Cleto Escobedo III, is survived by his family. The saxophone player, whom Kimmel described as a “prodigy” since childhood, died at the age of 59 on November 11, 2025, and the late-night talk show host delivered an emotional monologue in honor of Escobedo, his parents and his wife and children.
While sending his thoughts to the Escobedo family, Kimmel said he hoped he could “remind” the late musician’s children, as they grow up, how much [Escobedo] loves them, because it’s a lot.”
Below, learn about Escobedo’s wife and their family.
Kimmel did not explain what happened to Escobedo. However, Page Six reported that Escobedo had complications from a liver transplant.
Moreover, Kimmel thanked the doctors and nurses at UCLA Health for taking “incredibly good care” of Escobedo over “these awful few months.”
“Everyone here at the show — we are devastated by this,” Jimmy said on his show. “It’s just not fair. He was the nicest, most humble, kind and always funny person.”
Yes, Escobedo was married to his wife, Lori Escobedo. The couple kept most of the details of their life together private, so it’s unclear how long they had been together before he died.
