Sex Researcher Virginia Johnson Dies

Along with her son, Johnson is survived by her daughter, Lisa Young, and two grandchildren. Private funeral arrangements were pending.

Back when even mentioning sex was a sure sign one was headed to hell, there were the Johnson's. Virginia Johnson met William H. Masters in 1957 after answering an advertisement for an assistant. Masters was a gynecologist on the faculty of the Washington University School of Medicine when he began his research into human sexuality in the mid-1950s.

The two together helped make the frank discussion of sex acceptable if you will.

Johnson died on Wednesday at an area assisted living center. She was 88.

Oh her marriage to Masters, Johnson once said she convinced her that having sex with him was part of the job. They married 1971, and divorced 20 years later.

Johnson was able to recruit the countless volunteers needed for the human sexuality studies with her likeable personality.