'Pink Panther Theme' saxophonist Plas Johnson passes away at 94

Los Angeles [US], July 24 (ANI): Saxophonist Plas Johnson, best known for the classic ‘Pink Panther’ theme song, has passed away at 94.

According to People, the musician died on July 15 at his Los Angeles residence, as confirmed by his kids Eric Johnson and Stephanie Oliver. They also revealed that their father recently performed at his retirement community.

Johnson died about a week before his 95th birthday on July 21.

Meanwhile, tributes have been pouring in for the musician. Harmonica player and record producer Bob Corritore remembered Johnson in a Facebook post.

“I just heard that we lost saxophone master Plas Johnson. Best known for his famous sax part on the Pink Panther theme, his mid-1950s sides were raw, rockin’ jump blues instrumentals! The one time that I met him and tried to talk to him about those sides, which I find to be excellent, he dismissed them as primitive and beneath the Jazz eloquence that he later achieved. He was blessed with a warm, full tone and beautiful phrasing that he carried with him his whole life. A musician’s musician,” he wrote.

Born in 1931 to a musical family, Plas Johnson made his professional debut at the age of 10. He performed as a singer before learning the saxophone.

In 1965, he moved to Los Angeles, where he was introduced to Capitol Records. He went on to collaborate with several top artists, including Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Peggy Lee.

“My solos always seemed to bring the record up another notch. I could do that in eight bars, I could do that in 12 bars, and I was used to maybe doing fills behind the vocalist after that,” Johnson earlier told Concord.

Johnson is best known for his work as a soloist on Henry Mancini’s ‘The Pink Panther Theme’ in the 1963 film. (ANI)

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