Plas Johnson, the jazz saxophonist whose iconic solo on The Pink Panther Theme became the auditory equivalent of a cartoon cat tiptoeing, has died at 94. The Louisiana native passed away on July 15 in Granada Hills, California, according to the Los Angeles jazz station KKJZ and his hometown paper, the Donaldsonville Chief. Social media posts from self-identified Louisiana family members also confirmed the news, with one cousin on Facebook offering a succinct "RIP Cuz."

Johnson laid down that legendary tenor sax riff in 1963 alongside composer Henry Mancini, reportedly in just two takes. "When we finished, everyone applauded, even the string players," Johnson recalled, adding with a chuckle, "And that's saying something … They never applaud for anything." The Pink Panther Theme later won three Grammys, earned an Oscar nomination for best original score, and landed at No. 20 on the American Film Institute's list of greatest film scores.

Johnson started his musical journey singing with his family before his father - a banjo and saxophone player - bought him a soprano sax. He made his recording debut in 1950 with his brother Ray on DeLuxe Records, then toured with singer-pianist Charles Brown. After switching to alto and tenor sax, he moved to Los Angeles in 1954, becoming a session musician for the likes of B.B. King, Johnny Otis, Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, and Nat King Cole. "My solos always seemed to bring the record up another notch," Johnson said, modestly. He died just six days shy of his 95th birthday.