Jimmy Kimmel burst into tears while remembering late best friend Cleto Escobedo III

Jimmy Kimmel opened the latest episode of Late Night with a heavy heart as he lost his childhood sweetheart and band leader, Cleto Escobededo III.

On Tuesday, the 57-year-old guest woke up to the sad news of his best friend’s death, who died suddenly at the age of 51.

Jimmy opened the latest episode of his show with a monologue dedicated to recovery. While talking about him, he actually broke down.

The American TV host began by saying, “We’ve been on the air for almost 23 years, and I’ve had to make some tough spots along the way.”

Kimmel admitted that this monologue is the most difficult of all as he lost a very dear person, who was too young to leave this world.

“But the most difficult because late last night, early in the morning, we lost someone very special and very young, and I would like to tell you something about him. If you don’t mind.”

While recalling his longtime friendship with Cleto, Jimmy revealed, “There was a boy who lived on my porch and two houses over. His name was Clete, but we all called him Junior.”

“Eventually, we met and became friends. And not just casual friends. We became 24/7, please let me sleep, please, ‘friends like that.’

Kimmel concluded by saying, “Everybody on the show is a part of this. It’s just not fair.