The cause of death for Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel’s lifelong friend and longtime band leader on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has been revealed after Escobedo died on Nov. 11 at the age of 59.
According to the death certificate obtained by TMZ, the immediate cause of death was cardiogenic shock. It also listed several underlying causes, including vasodilatory shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, as well as several other medical conditions Escobedo had, including sepsis, pneumonia and chronic kidney disease.
A devastated Kimmel, who first met the musician when he was just 9 years old, delivered a touching tribute to his friend during his monologue on Tuesday’s episode of his show.
“Even though I’m heartbroken to lose him, I’m going to take yet another lesson from him and acknowledge how lucky I was to have him, literally at my side, for so many years,” Kimmel told his viewers.
Kimmel thanked Escobedo’s parents, Cleto II, who performed in Kimmel’s band alongside his son, and Sylvia, who was in the audience, “for making him and for sharing him with me and with all of us, and for treating me like their own son always.”
Kimmel also paid tribute to his childhood friend in a pair of Instagram posts. In the first, posted on Tuesday, he revealed the news of Escobedo’s death, telling his followers, “Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III. To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement.”
In a second post, made on Friday, Kimmel announced the establishment of two fundraisers in Escobedo’s honor, writing, “Cleto was always kind and eager to help others. As we mourn his loss, we have started two fundraisers to celebrate his life and give back.”
The fundraisers are for two causes close to Escobedo’s heart: one is for UCLA Medical Center, where he received treatment, and the other is for the Vegas-based Animal Foundation.
Escobedo and Kimmel were both from Las Vegas, and Kimmel explained in his post that the fundraiser was created to honor his friend’s love of animals.
Attached to the post was a photo of the Escobedo family including Cleto, his wife Lori, their children Cruz and Jesse, and their rescue dog, and another of Kimmel and Escobedo both holding saxophones.
Several celebrities offered their support in the form of comments on Kimmel’s post, including Mary Steenburgen, Wanda Sykes, Patton Oswalt, Octavia Spencer, Eric Stonestreet and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Paul Abdul, with whom Escobedo performed on her world tour in 1991, also posted a tribute on Instagram, writing, “My heart is heavy today as we say goodbye to the incredible Cleto Escobedo III… the moment I heard him, I knew I had to hire him, even though he didn’t have any touring experience yet. His talent and energy were undeniable.”
“Cleto was pure light and soul, both on and off stage. Sending so much love to his family and everyone who loved him,” she finished, attaching a video of her and Escobedo performing together.
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