Plas Johnson Dies: ‘The Pink Panther’ Theme Song Saxophonist Was 94

Plas Johnson, the saxophonist featured in the theme song for the 1963 film The Pink Panther, has died at 94.

On Wednesday, July 15 — one week before his 95th birthday — Johnson died at his home in Los Angeles, his kids, Stephanie Oliver and Eric Johnson, confirmed to The New York Times. His family said that Johnson recently performed at his retirement community, about a month before his death. A cause of death was not revealed.

Bob Corritore, a record producer and harmonica player, penned a tribute via Facebook to Johnson on July 19. “I just heard that we lost saxophone master Plas Johnson. July 21, 1931 to July 15, 2026 (94 years old),” he began the update. “Best known for his famous sax part on the Pink Panther theme, his mid 1950s sides were raw, rockin’ jump blues instrumentals!”

In his post, Corritore recalled, “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.”

He concluded by declaring, “A musician’s musician. RIP.”

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Aside from his iconic solo in “The Pink Panther Theme,” written by Henry Mancini, Johnson was known for his collaboration with big names in the music industry, including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, The Monkees, and Peggy Lee.

The Pink Panther starred David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine, Claudia Cardinale, Philip H. Lathrop, James Lanphier, Meri Welles, and more. In addition to multiple films, it inspired several animated TV series, including The Pink Panther Show in 1969, The Pink Panther (1993), and Pink Panther and Pals (2010).

The Pink Panther, streaming on YouTube, Tubi, Pluto TV, and Philo