It’s the story of the famous Dallas-loving Texan who has tipped his favorite cowboy hat for the very last time. Self-proclaimed cowboy at heart, Brett Johnson was a Texan institution in himself, whose rather untimely death comes as a rude surprise to all of the Dallas T.V community.

Johnson, aged 48, died on Sunday, 12th July, reportedly from complications arising out of pancreatitis. He had been admitted to the Fort Worth Hospital, where he breathed his last. His death undoubtedly leaves behind a vacuum that won’t be the easiest to fill.

In the flux of the ever changing media world, the face of veteran reporter Brett Johnson, was one of the few things that could be counted upon to stay put. Having been a constant feature with NBC Channel 5 for nearly 13 years, Johnson, with his no-nonsense matter-of-factness had become an inseparable part of the Dallas T.V scene. Thoroughbred Texan from the crown of his signature cowboy hat to the spur of his boots, he was, by his own admission, “more comfortable wearing a cowboy hat than wearing a suit.”

His love for anything Texan was paralleled only by his love for anything musical. Famous mostly for his superbly brought together feature stories, his real excellence however, was in his impeccably presented music features. A regular authority on music related subjects especially that relating to folk, he was known on occasion to strum a guitar or ukulele himself. According to those who knew him closely, his knowledge of Beatles trivia too was legendary in the Channel 5 community.