Jimmy Kimmel and Cleto Escobedo III (Randy Holmes/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

Jimmy Kimmel isn’t the only celebrity mourning bandleader and saxophonist Cleto Escobedo III. 

Before Cleto became the leader of Cleto and the Cletones on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he toured the world with Paula Abdul. She shared a clip on Instagram that showed her performing her hit “Forever Your Girl” onstage with Escobedo and wrote, “My heart is heavy today as we say goodbye to the incredible Cleto Escobedo III.”

“I first met Cleto when he was playing sax in a small bar at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas,” she continues. “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.”

Paula goes on to say that Escobedo’s “talent and energy were undeniable,” and adds that he “went on to have an amazing career” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! She concludes, “Cleto was pure light and soul, both on and off stage. Sending so much love to his family and everyone who loved him.”

In his emotional monologue bidding farewell to Escobedo, who died Tuesday at age 59, Kimmel showed the same clip that Paula posted and commented on his late pal’s long, curly, Kenny G-like hair, “We never stopped making fun of that hairstyle.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Related

Copy URL
URL Copied