What did Cleto Escobedo III do before joining Jimmy Kimmel's late night show? Career highlights explored as he dies at 59

Cleto Escobedo III was already a famous name before joining Jimmy Kimmel Live! The bandleader, before joining his childhood friend's show, was touring with Paula Abdul and later on with Marc Anthony.

Cleto died at the age of 59. The family has not revealed the reason behind his death as of now. Paula Abdul, in her tribute post, revealed how she first met Cleto, saying:

"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."

Later, the musician joined Jimmy Kimmel on his show from 2003 and worked in the band Cleto and the Cletones. He also allied with Jimmy Vivino of Late Night with Conan O'Brien during the show.

How did Cleto Escobedo III become the band leader of Jimmy Kimmel's show?

In the reported interview with Eyewitness News, Jimmy Kimmel opened up on why he chose Cleto Escobedo III for his show, saying:

"He was a child prodigy. Like the whole school would gather to watch. He'd get standing ovations. It was a crazy thing. He became a professional musician. He toured with Earth, Wind and Fire, Paula Abdul. He had his own record deal."

He continued:

"And I just thought, oh my God, you know? I have a talk show. Cleto has to be my band leader."

Kimmel added that he had the best chemistry with him, adding:

"Of course I wanted great musicians, but I wanted somebody I had chemistry with."

Along with Cleto, Kimmel came up with a plan to get his dad on board. The news of his joining the band was a surprise for Cleto's father, who joined him for the audition. Speaking of the same, he told International Musician:

"After the first set, Braun (past president of abc) came over and said, ‘That’s great! Welcome to ABC.’ My dad comes up and shakes his hand and says, ‘Thank you for hiring my son; it will be fun to watch him.’ And Braun says, ‘Your son? You’re in the band too.’"

During his long career, Cleto Escobedo III also worked as a musician in The Oscars, Alpha and Omega Made, and Karen Sisco. He also had a project, Demon Star, in post-production, according to IMDb. However, the release date of the project hasn't been revealed yet.

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Also Read: Who is Cleto Escobedo III's wife? Family details explored amid Jimmy Kimmel Live! bandleader and Kimmel's childhood friend's death at 59

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