KOCHI: Music maestro Johnson, 58, who made his mark in Malayalam filmdom with a bouquet of evergreen melodies and nostalgic tunes, is no more.
He breathed his last following a heart attack at his Chennai residence on Thursday night.
Born to a musically-affluent Christian family at Nellikkunnu in Thrissur, Johnson was an active member of the Nellikkunnu St Sebastian’s Church choir. He took training in guitar and harmonium from his colleagues during this early period itself.
In 1968, Johnson and his friends formed a club named ‘Voice of Thrissur’, becoming the main instrumentalist of the group. Within a short span of time, the club which had around 50 members, became one of the most popular music troups of the state.
He started his career as an assistant to G Devarajan in the 1970s and debuted as an independent composer towards the end of the decade with Aaravam.
He was a recurrent collaborator for directors Padmarajan, Bharathan, Sathyan Anthikkad, T V Chandran, Kamal, Lohithadas, Balachandra Menon and Mohan.