Jimmy Kimmel is paying tribute to Cleto Escobedo III, his childhood greatest pal and longtime bandleader for his late evening discuss present, Jimmy Kimmel Dwell!, who died on Tuesday at 59.
Throughout his 22-minute monologue (beneath), which he known as his “hardest” thus far, the host recalled tons of recollections he shared with Escobedo over time. The pair turned greatest pals as kids after Kimmel’s household moved in throughout the road from Escobedo’s house in Las Vegas. As soon as Kimmel later landed his present at ABC in 2003, he introduced Escobedo and his band, Cleto and the Cletones, alongside because the starting.
“We had so many adventures,” Kimmel stated by tears throughout Tuesday’s present. “We might giggle so exhausting. We had our personal language that just about nobody else understood. We didn’t must say something. We’d sit right here at rehearsal each day. We didn’t have to take a look at one another. I knew he was eager about taking a look at me and I used to be eager about taking a look at him. We take a look at one another like this and that may be it.”
Kimmel continued, “We cherished all the identical issues. Baseball, fishing, boxing, [Muhammad] Ali, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Woody Allen, Michael McDonald, Huey Lewis, Stevie Marvel, and most of all, we love David Letterman. We by no means missed David Letterman. And the primary time I used to be on the [Late Show with David Letterman] was in 1999. It was a very massive deal for each of us. That afternoon earlier than the present, I used to be so nervous. I used to be strolling in New York Metropolis, simply strolling quick, attempting to burn off the nervous power, and I known as him simply so we could possibly be amazed collectively that this was taking place and it was a tremendous factor.”
The comic went on to reward how “phenomenal” a saxophone participant Escobedo was from a younger age: “He was a baby prodigy who would get standing ovations in junior highschool, should you can think about that.” And as soon as ABC employed Kimmel to host Jimmy Kimmel Dwell!, he knew he needed to convey his greatest pal alongside for the journey.
“In the future in September of 2002, I received a chat present simply out of nowhere. I had a gathering with an government at ABC named Lloyd Braun and he employed me to host this present. And once you do a present like this, you want a number of issues. You want a desk, you want an announcer, you want a Guillermo and also you want a band. And naturally, I needed Cleto to steer my band,” Kimmel defined. “The concept anybody aside from him would lead the band was terrifying. It needed to be him. I used to be so scared they’d say no and I must have one other band.”
Kimmel ultimately discovered the braveness to pitch the concept to ABC, and stated Escobedo and his father ended up auditioning for the job collectively.
“Not solely did I need Cleto to steer the band, I needed his dad to be within the band. So, I pitched it to Lloyd,” he recalled. “Cleto and his dad did a particular music. They performed ‘Decide Up the Items’ by the Common White Band, which is 2 saxophones. And Lloyd noticed it. He noticed the daddy and son collectively. He stated, ‘I like it.’ And he simply received up and left. And we’ve been working collectively each day for nearly 23 years now.”
An emotional Kimmel added, “I’ve typically stated that the one smartest thing about doing this present was getting the chance to permit Cleto Senior to choose up the place he left off in 1966 and turn into a musician once more together with his son.”
The host continued to precise how a lot “everybody loves Cleto,” and that “everybody right here on the present, we’re devastated.” He additionally famous that Jimmy Kimmel Dwell! could be taking a number of nights off following Escobedo’s demise.
“Regardless that I’m heartbroken to lose him,” a teary-eyed Kimmel continued, “I’m going to take yet one more lesson from him and acknowledge how fortunate I used to be to have him actually at my facet for therefore a few years.”