The legendary session saxophonist whose sultry tenor line made the opening of “The Pink Panther” instantly recognizable worldwide died on July 15 at his home in Los Angeles. Plas Johnson was 94, just days short of turning 95.
His daughter Stephanie Oliver and son Eric Johnson confirmed his death. The family did not disclose a cause but said he had continued to perform at his retirement community as recently as a month before his passing.
He entered the world as Plas John Johnson Jr. in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, on July 21, 1931, as the middle child of three in a household where music ran deep. His mother played piano while his father handled banjo and saxophone. Johnson made his first paid appearance at age 10 as a vocalist, years before touching an instrument.
He received a soprano saxophone as a gift at 12 and started formal instruction. Eventually, his repertoire grew to include alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, plus clarinet and flute. By his teenage years he was gigging in New Orleans, which led to touring work with R&B vocalist Charles Brown. Military duty interrupted that stretch, during which he played in an Army music group.
In 1950, Johnson made his first recording alongside his brother Ray for DeLuxe Records. After shifting from soprano to alto and tenor horns, he relocated to Los Angeles in 1954 and embedded himself in the city’s bustling session scene, where his versatility soon made him indispensable.
A Melody Composed for His Voice
Composer Henry Mancini didn’t pick Johnson at random for the 1963 Blake Edwards comedy starring Peter Sellers as bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Mancini later wrote that he had written the piece with Johnson specifically in mind because the saxophonist had “the sound and the style I wanted.” The resulting melody became synonymous with stealth and playfulness across generations.
The session itself was unusually smooth. “We only did two takes, I think,” Johnson once said. “When we finished, everyone applauded, even the string players.” He noted with typical modesty that string players never applaud for anything.
When released as a single, the composition climbed into the Top 10 on the adult contemporary chart and won three Grammy Awards. The American Film Institute eventually ranked the score 20th among cinema’s greatest, and the 37th Academy Awards honored it with a nomination for best original score.
Five Decades Behind the Microphone
Across more than 50 years in the recording industry, Johnson became one of the most sought-after session players in music, lending his sound to artists including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Marvin Gaye, BB King, Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Ella Fitzgerald, and Peggy Lee. Yet his signature contribution remained the saxophone line he laid down for that 1963 Edwards film.
His catalog extended far beyond that famous theme. He recorded television music for “The Monkees,” “Mannix,” and “The Odd Couple.” He provided the piccolo solo on Bobby Day’s 1958 hit “Rockin’ Robin” and contributed to The Beach Boys’ landmark 1966 album “Pet Sounds.” For 15 years, he held a chair in host Merv Griffin’s house band on “The Merv Griffin Show.”
He knew his role in those settings well. His solos, he later reflected, always seemed to lift a record up another notch, whether he had eight bars or 12, and he was accustomed to filling in behind the vocalist afterward.
Johnson revisited his most famous work more than four decades later, recording a fresh take on the theme for the 2006 remake starring Steve Martin.
Remembrance and Legacy
Harmonica player and record producer Bob Corritore paid tribute on social media, describing Johnson as a master among musicians whose warm, full-bodied tone and refined approach to melody stayed with him from start to finish. Corritore recalled that when he attempted to compliment Johnson on his energetic jump-blues recordings from the mid-1950s, the saxophonist dismissed those early efforts as rough work that paled beside the sophisticated jazz artistry he developed in later years.
Johnson is survived by Carol, his wife of 60 years; their son Philip; his children Eric Johnson and Stephanie Oliver; Cheryl, David, and Denise, three children from his first marriage; eight grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
