Paul Leighton Johnson was one of a kind. Even in the face of enormous adversity, the Chicago icon lived life with the same irrepressible spirit you can hear all over his classics. After a publicised struggle with Covid-19 in recent weeks, he passed away on the morning of August 4th 2021, leaving behind a chasm in house music.

 

Johnson was one of the most visible disabled DJs on the world stage, a wheelchair user from the age of 16 after a stray bullet left him paralysed from the waist down. What’s less well-known is that he suffered years of noise-triggered PTSD as a result of the accident, which frames his career in music through the lens of resilience, commitment and love for craft.

 

By 2010 he was a double-amputee: ongoing pains claimed his left leg in 2003, and a severe accident required the removal of his right leg seven years later, as well as crushing his hip and damaging his spine. Yet Johnson remained undeterred in his mission to bring authentic, heartfelt house music to anyone willing to accept it. As it transpired, there were millions of eager listeners in all four corners of the globe.

 

Paul Johnson is best known for 1999’s ‘Get Get Down’, an inescapable anthem which landed in the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart, and was the penultimate Billboard Dance Club #1 of the 20th century.

 

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