Hollywood is in mourning over the death of Jimmy Kimmel Live! mainstay Cleto Escobedo.
Jimmy Kimmel himself shared the devastating news on Nov. 11, writing on Instagram, “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,” the late night talk show host continued. “Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was 9 years old. The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true.”
Jimmy’s fellow comics also shared their condolences, with Wanda Sykes writing in the comments section, “Heartbreaking. So, very sorry.”
“So sorry,” Howie Mandel shared, while Jeffrey Ross added, “Love to his incredible family.”
In an Instagram post of her own, Paula Abdul recalled her first meeting with Cleto, who she toured with in the late ’80s.