Chicago House Legend Paul Johnson has died

Chicago house legend Paul Johnson has sadly lost his life at age 50 after contracting Coronavirus.

One of house music’s self-taught greats, Paul’s approach to adversity and obstacles in life often resonated throughout his work – filling his productions with soul, passion and emphatic enlightenment.

Following a short and publicised battle with Coronavirus, Paul’s official Facebook page shared his tragic news with the world – in a post that wrote: “Our greatness passed away this morning at 9am the house music legend we all know as PJ aka PAUL JOHNSON has passed away in this day of AUGUST 4th 2021. Rest In Heaven Paul.”

This news brings great sadness and absence to the entire electronic music community, as Pauls seminal influence on the house music genre over the last three decades has been nothing short of inspirational.

With over 100 releases to his name, Paul’s presence has been constant on some of the most iconic labels in house music history – Dance Mania, Peacefrog, Cajual, Relief Records and Djax-Up-Beats.

Perhaps the most notable of his releases – ‘Get Get Down’ – landed in 1999 and has become an integral piece of electronic music culture that is instantly recognisable through generations.

Few producers can produce timeless records that younger generations often surprise you with their knowledge of; Paul was undoubtedly one of those artists.

Johnson’s life was littered with challenges, with some of them presenting progressively tougher mountains to climb. Despite his disability, Paul still maintained the highest level of professionalism in his passion – touring the world as a DJ from the very beginning of his career until the start of 2021.

Paul’s influence as an artist, label boss and pioneer for electronic music has no doubt inspired a lot of what we know and love today, and his presence within our community will be sorely missed.

Rest in paradise, Paul Leighton Johnson (1971-2021).