Los Angeles – Behind every wave of shared laughter that filled the years of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” lay a hauntingly beautiful saxophone melody, guided by a man who was the golden thread woven into the show’s fabric. This is the story of Cleto Escovedo III, the miracle saxophonist who has become an immortal musical spirit. His passing was announced on Tuesday, November 11, 2025. He was 59.
Comedian and host Jimmy Kimmel broke the news in a statement posted on Instagram, without disclosing the cause or location of death. However, during his monologue on Tuesday evening, he noted that Escovedo had recently been undergoing treatment at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Escovedo’s band, “Cleto and the Cletones,” had been a staple of the show since its premiere in 2003, yet his bond with Kimmel traces back to their childhood days together in Las Vegas. Kimmel wrote in his post: “Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old. Working together every single day was a dream we never even knew we had.” Kimmel often referred to his lifelong friend as a “musical miracle.”
Cleto Valentine Escovedo III was born on August 23, 1966, in Las Vegas, the only child of Sylvia Escovedo and Cleto Escovedo Jr. His father was also a saxophonist and later joined his son’s band, “Cletonis.”
The younger Escovedo was profoundly influenced by his father, crediting him as the driving force behind his decision to pursue music. He was studying at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, when he began performing along the Las Vegas Strip.
His big break arrived in 1990 when he landed an audition and subsequently joined singer Paula Abdul’s touring band. His world tour with Abdul led to a record deal with Virgin Records and further touring opportunities with other renowned artists, including Luis Miguel and Marc Anthony.
It was while he was on tour with Anthony that he received a call from Kimmel, asking him to lead the band for his new show, as Escovedo recounted in a 2022 oral history interview with Texas Tech University. That moment marked the beginning of his most defining professional chapter, one that lasted until his death.
“We have lost a great friend, a father, a son, a musician, a man… my bandleader for so long, Cleto Escovedo III,” Kimmel wrote in his Instagram tribute, mourning his friend.
Death merely closes the final movement in the symphony of Cleto Escovedo’s life, leaving behind a legacy of notes that will never cease to play in the hearts of those who knew him. The master saxophonist has departed, yet his melodies will forever echo in the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” studio—a enduring testament to a childhood dream realized.
And though his saxophone has now fallen silent, a friendship that began at age nine stands as proof that some bonds are stronger than any final farewell. He was, as his friend described, a musical miracle. Yet the true miracle lay in his ability to weave music and friendship into a single, beautiful melody, one that will resonate long after his departure. Jimmy Kimmel’s words served as the finest elegy for a physical journey concluded, yet a spirit that remains alive in every note, every laugh, and every memory that tells the tale of two friends who transformed their bond into an immortal work of art.
