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Plas Johnson (1931-2026), whose tenor saxophone gave the title theme of "The Pink Panther" (1963) its unmistakable sound, has died. The Hollywood studio musician passed away last week at the age of 94 at his home in Los Angeles, as the "New York Times" reports, citing his children Eric Johnson and Stephanie Oliver. He reportedly performed at his senior residence about a month before his death. He would have celebrated his 95th birthday on July 21.
The "Pink Panther" music was composed by Henry Mancini for the slapstick crime comedy directed by Blake Edwards, in which Peter Sellers played the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Mancini and Johnson already knew each other from working on the title melody for "Peter Gunn". When Mancini wrote the music for "Pink Panther", he had Johnson in mind from the start. In his book published in 1989, the composer recalled, according to the "New York Times", that he almost always selected his musicians in advance and composed around them. Johnson had exactly the sound and style he was looking for. Released as a single, the "Pink Panther" theme landed on the charts and earned three Grammys, including one for best instrumental arrangement.
From Louisiana to Hollywood
Plas John Johnson Jr. was born on July 21, 1931, in Donaldsonville in the U.S. state of Louisiana. He grew up in a family of musicians: his mother sang and played piano, his father played alto saxophone. At twelve, he received a soprano saxophone from his father and was taught his first fingerings.
He soon switched to larger instruments and later also learned clarinet and flute. As a teenager, he played blues, Dixieland, and jazz in New Orleans and mastered the fast-paced bebop style. In 1951, he went on tour with R&B singer Charles Brown before being drafted into the Army. In the mid-1950s, he settled in Los Angeles.
The Musician Behind Countless Hits
Johnson became a fixture of the so-called Wrecking Crew, that group of studio musicians who could adapt to any style. He played on theme songs for shows like "The Odd Couple" and accompanied greats like Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Marvin Gaye. He created the piccolo solo in the Bobby Day hit "Rockin' Robin", he could be heard on the Beach Boys classic "Pet Sounds", and in 2006 he re-recorded the Panther theme for the remake with Steve Martin.
For 15 years, he was part of talk show host Merv Griffin's band. In 2008, he appeared in the documentary "The Wrecking Crew" about the famous studio musicians of Los Angeles. In his later years, he devoted himself primarily to jazz. In addition to his countless studio sessions, he released more than a dozen albums under his own name. Johnson is survived by his wife Carol, to whom he was married for 60 years, several children, eight grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren.
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