'Jimmy Kimmel Live' musician Cleto Escobedo III’s death cause comes to light

The cause of death has finally been confirmed for Jimmy Kimmel Live! musical director Cleto Escobedo III, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 59.

According to his death certificate Escobedo died from cardiogenic shock as a condition that prevents the heart from pumping enough blood to sustain the body.

TMZ report that underlying conditions included vasodilatory shock, distributed intravascular coagulation and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. 

Contributing health factors listed were sepsis, graft versus host disease, immunosuppression, chronic kidney disease, and pneumonia.

His death came shortly after he missed an episode of the ABC talk show last week, which the 58-year-old host went on to describe as a “personal matter.”

When Kimmel returned, he honored his longtime friend with an emotional on air tribute. As of Tuesday, the host has stepped away for the remainder of the week.

“Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,” Kimmel shared on Instagram.

He added, “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement as Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine 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. Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers.”

For the unversed, Cleto Escobedo III had been a part of Jimmy Kimmel Live! since its launch in 2003, serving as the leader of Cleto and the Cletones, the show’s longtime house band.