He underwent a severe chest pain while at his home at Kattuapakkam in Chennai. Though he was rushed to Sree Ramachandra Medical College, he died on the way. His body is now kept at this hospital.
Johnson is fondly called Johnson Master (Johnson Mashu) by Malayalee audiences.
Johnson was born in a musically affluent Christian family in Nellikkunnu, Thrissur, Kerala, on 26 March 1953. A recipient of national awards twice and Kerala state film awards five times, Johnson started his career as an assistant to music director G. Devarajan in 1970s. In the late 70s, Johnson debuted as an independent composer through the film Aaravam.
He has composed music for more than 300 Malayalam films, the most by any composer except for Devarajan. Some of the films he worked with are Njan Gandharvan, Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal, Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam, Vadakkunokkiyantram, Perumthachan, Amaram, Manichitrathazhu, Malootty, Chamayam, Churam.
Johnson won the National Film Award for Best Background Score for the films Ponthan Mada (1994) and Sukrutham (1995). He has received three Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director, for the films Ormakkayi (1982), Vadakkunokkiyantram and Mazhavil Kavadi (1989), and Angane Oru Avadhikkalathu (1999). He was awarded the Kerala State Film Award for Best Background Music for the films Sadayam (1992) and Sallapam (1996). He has thus received five Kerala State Film Awards in music category, an achievement he shares with Devarajan.
Johnson's favourite male singer is K. J. Yesudas, who has recorded many songs for him, while S. Janaki and K. S. Chithra are his favourite female singers. Chithra had some of her most noted songs with Johnson.
Johnson is a two time National Award winning Indian composer of film scores who has given music to some of the most important motion pictures of Malayalam cinema. He is noted for his lyrical and expressive melodies together with simple but rich tonal compositions of thematic music.He came to prominence through his collaboration with the great Malayalam director Padmarajan. This productive collaboration saw the detailed screenplay and cinematography of Padmarajan become a fertile ground for expressive musical narration and thematic scores for Johnson. This is seen in some of the greatest motion pictures of Malayalam cinema, like Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal (1986), Oru minnaaminungintaey nurunguvettam (1987), Nombarathipoovu (1987) and Perumthachan (1990). He is also noted for his collaboration with the Malayalam lyricist Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri. Johnson is affectionately called as the 'John Williams' of Malayalam cinema, after the legendary Hollywood composer John Williams. Johnson won National awards for two consecutive years. He won his first National Award in 1994 for the motion picture Ponthan Mada (1993). The next year he got his second award for best background music (Sukrutham) he is the only malayalee music director who received two national awards
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