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Tragedy for friends and family ... Jimmy Kimmel just announced his show's longtime band leader and childhood friend Cleto Escobedo III died Tuesday morning.

Jimmy paid tribute to him in an IG post Tuesday ... saying he's heartbroken, especially since he and Cleto had been been inseparable since Jimmy was 9 years old. Play video content

MARCH 2022

Jimmy's writes ... "The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true. Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers."

The cause of Cleto's death is unclear.

Escobedo had been noticeably MIA from the ABC show for months after falling ill. Reports state that Kimmel even cancelled his Thursday episod

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