‘Pink Panther Theme’ Saxophonist Plas Johnson Passes Away at 94

Los Angeles: Saxophonist Plas Johnson, known for the classic ‘Pink Panther’ theme song, has passed away at the age of 94. According to People, the musician died at his home in Los Angeles on July 15, as confirmed by his children Eric Johnson and Stephanie Oliver. They also revealed that their father recently performed at his retirement community. Johnson died on July 21, about a week shy of his 95th birthday. Meanwhile, tributes are pouring in for the musician. Harmonica player and record producer Bob Corritore remembered Johnson in a Facebook post.

“I have just heard that we have lost saxophone master Plas Johnson. Best known for his famous Pink Panther-themed saxophone piece, his mid-1950s sides were raw, swinging blues instrumentals! When I met him once and tried to talk to him about these sides, which I found excellent, he described them as primitive and beneath the Jazz eloquence he later acquired. He was blessed with a warm, full tone and beautiful phrasing, and he carried his whole song with him. The life of a musician.” musician,” he wrote. Born in 1931 into a family of musicians, Plas Johnson started his professional career at the age of 10. He appeared on stage as a singer before learning the saxophone. He moved to Los Angeles in 1965, where he met Capitol Records. He went on to collaborate with many top artists, including Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Peggy Lee. “My solos always seemed to take the record a notch higher. I could do that in eight bars, I could do that in 12 bars, and after that maybe I was used to doing fills behind the vocalist,” Johnson previously told Concord.

Johnson is known for his work as the soloist in Henry Mancini’s 1963 film ‘The Pink Panther Theme’.