The Jimmy Kimmel Live family is mourning the death of costume designer Rodney Muñoz at age 60.
On Friday, the talk show host paid tribute to the late Emmy winner who designed costume for Kimmel’s ABC talk show since 2002, after a friend of Muñoz announced that he died on Oct. 2.
“Our dear friend and Costume Designer for almost 30 years, Rodney Muñoz, has sadly passed away,” wrote Kimmel on Instagram, sharing behind-the-scenes photos of Muñoz’s work on the show.
“Rodney was one of the most talented people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. He was a funny, surly, hard-working man whose tough exterior hid a huge and generous heart. Rodney helped many of us through difficult times. He was a devoted son, brother, and Uncle; a great baker, and a caring friend. No man saw me in my underpants more,” added Kimmel. “We will miss Rodney as he joins his beloved parents in whatever comes next.”
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Kimmel’s post comes after Muñoz’s friend Joe Dietl announced his death last weekend, noting that he suffered “many health issues” in recent years after he was diagnosed with COVID, which required him to be put into a coma and on a ventilator.
Born Sept. 4, 1966 in Los Angeles, Muñoz received his BFA and MFA in costume design at NYU, where he graduated in 1993, before going on to work as costume designer on The Late Show with David Letterman from 1995 to 2000.
Following his work with Kimmel on Comedy Central’s The Man Show, Muñoz became the costume designer for Jimmy Kimmel Live! when it launched in 2003.
His work on the ABC talk show earned him a Primetime Emmy in 2010 for Outstanding Costumes for a Variety/Music Program or a Special.
In addition to working in wardrobe on NBC’s Fear Factor in 2002 and the indie gay series Where the Bears Are from 2012 to 2018, Muñoz also designed costumes for the stage in the off-Broadway shows I Sent a Letter to My Love (1995), The Preservation Society (1996) and Ancient History/English Made Simple (1996).
