Rodney Muñoz, Jimmy Kimmel Live! costume designer, dies at 60

Rodney Muñoz, the Emmy-winning costume designer who dressed Jimmy Kimmel Live! for more than two decades, has died aged 60.

He died on Oct. 2. The death was reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Oct. 9, following a Facebook post by his friend Joe Dietl.

Kimmel paid tribute on Instagram. He said Muñoz had been his costume designer for almost 30 years and had passed away.

He called Muñoz one of the most talented people he had known. He described him as a funny, surly and hard-working man whose tough exterior hid a generous heart.

Muñoz joined Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2002 and stayed with the late-night show through its long run on ABC. A costume designer sources, fits and maintains what is worn on screen, work that shapes how hosts, guests and performers appear night after night.

Before working with Kimmel, Muñoz served as a costume designer on Late Show With David Letterman until 2000. He later styled Kimmel when Kimmel hosted the 2018 Academy Awards.

He won a Primetime Emmy in 2010 for outstanding costumes for a variety, music programme or a special. The Primetime Emmys are the leading honours for American television.

For viewers, that kind of work is often felt rather than noticed. It holds together sketches, music performances and red-carpet moments.

No further details about the cause of death were reported. He leaves behind a body of work seen by millions, and colleagues who knew him up close.