Jimmy Kimmel breaks down in tears as he honors late bandleader and friend Cleto Escobedo III in emotional monologue: ‘It’s just not fair’

It was an emotional night for Jimmy Kimmel, as he paid memorial to his childhood friend-turned-bandleader Cleto Escobedo III following his passing at 59 earlier Tuesday.

‘We’ve been on the air for almost 23 years, and I’ve had to do some hard monologues along the way – but this one’s the hardest,’ Kimmel, 57, said of Cleto, who was godfather to his son Kevin.

Kimmel continued: ‘Late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was much too young to go – and I’d like to tell you about him, if you don’t mind.’

Escobedo was loved by all of his colleagues at the ABC late night show, as he always treated others with kindness, said Kimmel, who added he would be taking off the rest of the week to grieve his friend.

‘I mean, everyone loves Cleto,’ said Kimmel, who was visibly choked up. ‘Everyone here at the show. We are devastated by this. It’s just not fair. He was the nicest, most humble, kind and always funny person.’

Kimmel opened up about how when he got hired at ABC to host the late night show in 2002, Escobedo was one of the first names on his mind.

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It was an emotional night for Jimmy Kimmel, as he paid memorial to his late bandleader Cleto Escobedo III following his passing. Pictured 2012

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Kimmel said that Tuesday’s monologue was the hardest he had to do in nearly 23 years

‘One day in September 2002, I got a talk show – out of nowhere,’ Kimmel said. ‘And when you do a show like this, you need a few things.’

He continued: ‘You need a desk, you need an announcer, you need a Guillermo – and you need a band.’

Kimmel said he ‘wanted Cleto to lead’ the band, and ‘the idea that anyone other than him would lead the band was terrifying.’

Kimmel said he and Escobedo had bonded watching David Letterman and his bandleader Paul Shaffer play off one another.

Said Kimmel: ‘We grew up watching Dave and Paul – it had to be him.’

Kimmel had Escobedo’s father Cleto Sr., 82, (who  plays tenor and alto saxophones in his band); and mother Sylvia, 80, on hand on the emotional evening, calling them akin to ‘second parents’ since his childhood.

‘This is a very tight family,’ Kimmel said of Escobedo’s family. ‘This is the kind of family that when they aren’t together, they call each other four times a day – it’s a small, tight family.’

Kimmel said he first crossed paths with Escobedo when his family moved from Brooklyn to Las Vegas, and his family ‘bought a house in a subdivision of Las Vegas called Spring Valley.’

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The late night host delivered an emotional memorial for his lifelong friend

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Kimmel focused on the good times he had with his late friend, who died Tuesday

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Kimmel had Escobedo’s father Cleto Sr. (who plays in his band); and mother Sylvia on hand on the emotional evening

Kimmel recalled that Escobedo ‘lived across the street and two houses over,’ adding, ‘eventually we met and became friends – and not just regular friends – we became 24/7, “Mom, please let me sleep over, please” kind of friends.’

Kimmel recalled that one summer, he slept over at Escobedo’s house ’33 nights in a row’ as they ‘were never bored’ and ‘were always up to something.’

Kimmel remembered the fun times he had with Escobedo as youths, consisting of ‘wiffle ball on the front lawn;’ ‘Nerf football in the street;’ dressing up as cowboys and setting ‘fire to Hot Wheels.’

Kimmel said other activities he enjoyed with his late friend included playing billiards; practical jokes and phony phone calls; and boxing one another.

‘We definitely gave each other many concussions!’ Kimmel said.

Kimmel said that Escobedo smartened him up to the birds and the bees as best he could.

‘Cleto was very focused on sex from a young age,’ Kimmel said humorously. ‘He knew everything about sex, and he taught me all of it.

‘Now, half of everything he taught me was wrong – sometimes dangerously wrong, very wrong.’

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Kimmel wrapped up the eulogy for his friend by thanking his parents for ‘making him;’ for ‘sharing him with me and with all of us;’ and ‘for treating me like their own son always’

Kimmel recalled: ‘Like, he told me it was impossible to get a girl pregnant in a jacuzzi because hot water deactivated the sperm- and that, by the way, is incorrect – don’t try that. But he knew a lot of stuff – and I wanted to hear all of it.’

Prior to working with Kimmel on the ABC show, Cleto made a living working with professional musicians such as Paula Abdul, Philip Bailey, Luis Miguel and Marc Anthony.

Kimmel noted that as the roles reversed for them professionally, and he ‘was all of the sudden the star … Cleto never [showed] a twinge of jealousy, envy, passive-aggressiveness.’

Said Kimmel: ‘None of that, ever – the opposite. He was proud of me, he loved me, he loved seeing me become successful, he loved seeing all of this happen – he loved being a part of it.’

Kimmel added, ‘There is no one in my life I felt more comfortable with – he was the godfather to my son Kevin; we were the best men at each other’s weddings.’

Kimmel also showed his gratitude to the medical professionals at UCLA Medical Center who took ‘incredibly good care of’ Cleto as his health waned.

Kimmel wrapped up the eulogy for his friend by thanking his parents for ‘making him;’ for ‘sharing him with me and with all of us;’ and ‘for treating me like their own son always.’

Kimmel concluded, ‘Cherish your friends. We’re not here forever. Thank you for indulging me. We’re going to take the next couple of nights off. But I wanted to be here tonight to tell you about my friend.’

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Kimmel shared a childhood shot of his friend honing his musical chops at a young age

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Prior to working with Kimmel on the ABC show, Cleto made a living working with professional musicians such as Paula Abdul, Philip Bailey, Luis Miguel and Marc Anthony

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Kimmel and Cleto III grew up on the same block in Las Vegas – memories so cherished that the late night host later named his company, Meadow Lark Lane Productions, after the street where they lived

Amid a challenging year for Kimmel, a number of his fans in a YouTube thread said that his star shined bright on Tuesday as he paid memorial to his late confidante.

‘No one has ever delivered a better tribute to a lifelong friend and his family than this one,’ said one commenter. ‘RIP Cleto. Condolences to his family and all he worked with and knew.’

Another user praised the humanity and raw emotion Kimmel brought to the broadcast with the ‘beautiful’ tribute to Cleto.

‘I’m 79 I was sobbing listening to Jimmy share his life-long friendship story with his friend Cleto,’ said the user.

Another praised Kimmel for his being ‘manly enough to cry and share his feelings.’

In a similar vein, another said, ‘Jimmy is the only talk show that wears his heart on his sleeve. What a beautiful dedication to his friend.’

One commenter said of the friendship between Jimmy and Cleto: ‘That’s not a friend. That was a brother like no other. RIP.’

Tuesday’s tragic announcement came days after Kimmel canceled his broadcast on Thursday and was seen outside of a hospital in Los Angeles with Escobedo’s family and spouse Molly McNearney, 47, in a scene described to Daily Mail as ’emotional.’

Kimmel previously announced the tragic passing in an Instagram post on Tuesday. He told his 4 million followers that saying ‘that we are heartbroken is an understatement.’

Kimmel said, ‘Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III.’

Kimmel said he and Cleto had ‘been inseparable’ since the age of nine.

Amid a challenging year for Kimmel , a number of his fans in a YouTube thread said that his star shined bright on Tuesday as he paid memorial to his late confidante

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Kimmel first broke his silence on Escobedo’s passing in a statement shared to Instagram

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Paula Abdul shared a heartfelt tribute to Escobedo on Instagram. Escobedo famously toured with Abdul in the 1990s as part of her band

‘The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true,’ he said. ‘Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers.’

Cleto’s wife Lori, 49, told Daily Mail that ‘everything is not OK’ on Monday, while his musical colleague Jeff Babko, 53, said fears for Cleto’s heath had been ‘justified.’

Cleto is survived by wife Lori and two children.

Paula Abdul shared a heartfelt tribute to Escobedo on Instagram. Escobedo famously toured with Abdul in the 1990s as part of her band.

‘My heart is heavy today as we say goodbye to the incredible Cleto Escobedo III,’ the superstar began. ‘I first met Cleto when he was playing sax in a small bar at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. I was putting together my band for my first world tour and the moment I heard him, I knew I had to hire him, even though he didn’t have any touring experience yet.’

She wrote that Escobedo’s ‘talent and energy were undeniable.’

‘And he went on to have an amazing career, reuniting with his best friend Jimmy Kimmel as the bandleader on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Cleto was pure light and soul, both on and off stage.

‘Sending so much love to his family and everyone who loved him,’ Abdul concluded.