Originally appeared on E! Online
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s” house band is going by a new moniker.
The group, originally named “Cleto and the Cletones,” revealed their new name during the late-night show’s Nov. 17 episode, which comes days after the death of bandleader Cleto Escobedo III.
In the opening sequence for the show, the credits rolled to the band’s new name “The Cletones,” illuminated by a flashing light. The change comes a week after Jimmy Kimmel shared that his longtime friend and musician died Nov. 11 at the age of 59.
“Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,” Kimmel wrote in a post on Instagram. “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement.”
Escobedo’s cause of death was determined to be cardiogenic shock, a condition where the heart is unable to pump enough blood through the body, according to a death certificate obtained by TMZ Nov. 14.
READ Jimmy Kimmel’s Sister Jill Pays Emotional Tribute to Cleto Escobedo’s “Beautiful Life”
After his friend’s passing, Kimmel returned to his late-night show to tearfully reflect on how he helped him land the gig on the late-night show in 2003.
“The idea that anyone other than him would lead the band was terrifying. It had to be him,” Kimmel recalled of pitching Escobedo as bandleader for the show. “I had to work up the nerve to bring it up because I knew ‘my best friend from growing up plays the saxophone, he could lead the band,’ didn’t sound good.”
Escobedo, alongside his father Cleto Escobedo II, got the job and as Kimmel tearfully shared they had “been working together every day for almost 23 years.”
In the days since, Escobedo’s life was celebrated by family, friends and famous musicians in a memorial service held Nov. 15.
“I keep forgetting that you’ve moved on from here…but I’ll never forget how much I loved you,” Kimmel’s sister Jill Kimmel wrote in an Nov. 16 Instagram post, alongside pictures of Cleto set to Michael McDonald’s ‘I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)’. “It’s been a beautiful life with you in it, Cleto. Rest well, my brother.”
Shelia E. shared a glimpse inside the emotional service alongside photos of her with Escobedo’s family.
“Family and friends gathered together for the best celebration of life I have ever attended,” the “Glamourous Life” singer wrote on Instagram Nov. 16. “It’s a true testament to who Cleto was and of Cleo’s love for his family and friends. We will continue to pray for the family. We love u Cleto and we already miss u.”
PHOTOSCleto Escobedo III, 2025
