His name was Cleto Escobedo III, and he was Kimmel's longtime bandleader. And his best friend since age 9. 

For several days, Kimmel had cancelled tapings of his show, leaving ABC to air reruns. But no one would say why.

Now we know.

The death of one of his best friends has shaken the late night comedian and on Tuesday, he finally returned to the air with a monologue like few others. 

Openly weeping at times, Kimmel delivered a powerful eulogy to his late friend. It is a remarkable 22 minutes, the kind you rarely see on TV.