Oh man, very sad news: Pableaux Johnson has died. If you were at SXSW in the late 90s or early 00s, you probably ran into Pableaux, probably at a big dinner he threw, probably him handing you, a stranger just minutes before, a plate of food. Fuck.
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absolutely gutting. I met Pableaux decades ago and few people could make me laugh the way he did. he was SUCH a bright light — while this is a huge loss for his friends, it's a MASSIVE loss for New Orleans and the entire food and photography communities.
rest well, my sweet friend. I'll miss you.
Gutted to hear my dear friend Pableaux Johnson is dead. Had a heart attack while photographing a second line, I’m told. PBX was an icon of New Orleans culture, food writing, and photography. He loved people and collected lifelong friends wherever he went. He leaves an enormous hole in so many lives.
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:tlntuxcagiflpa5pyv4zfgpn/bafkreibajmtk3vaeeyq5zbehrs7npoyp355jintslven6wb4ixmoeticby@jpeg
Pableaux Johnson memorial website set up by family. https://everloved.com/life-of/pableaux-johnson/
Just heard this news. Very sad. Pableaux was a gem and so full of love for his city, his friends, and all the friends he had yet to meet.
https://bsky.app/profile/accidentalcajun.bsky.social/post/3lgoqthuvkk2e
I am absolutely shocked and gutted. We just talked a couple months ago and I was hoping to see him soon. He was the best person you could ever spend time with in New Orleans, always a wonderful host and someone who showed me how great second lines are. RIP Pableaux. I’ll miss your mixtapes too.
https://bsky.app/profile/accidentalcajun.bsky.social/post/3lgoqthuvkk2e
We lost Pableaux Johnson today, who was as good and kind a human being as you get in this life. I am going to miss him and his smile so much. https://www.nola.com/news/pableaux-johnson-dies/article_8dcbe608-dc49-11ef-93af-ebc56bc9752d.html
Leslie, Brad, Aaron, Heather, Pableaux. All gone too soon.
Thanks for sharing, Jason. May Pableaux rest in peace, and may we all strive to warm the world as he did. Here’s one small story, and a recipe: https://tbrown.org/notes/2025/01/27/pableaux/
This was so incredibly sudden and sad. I knew him a little, crossing paths over the years, and like all the stories people are telling about him, I was given the gift of his warmth and generousity. My wife and I had lunch with him (him completely charming, talking photography with her) and afterwards he drove us around New Orleans for a bit, passing along bits of history and the story of how New Orleans came to be. He took my picture a couple of times. He took our picture that day, after lunch. He was truly genuine. We wanted to go to a supermarket and stock up on some local stuff that isn't available in our dumb suburb, and he said "Oh I don't go to supermarkets. You wouldn't want to shop where I shop. I buy onions by the case straight from the distributors." He was just such a great person.
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