Dr. Permutt received numerous awards, including the George Wills Comstock Award from the American Lung Association in 1988 and the Edward Livingston Trudeau Medal from the American Thoracic Society in 1992. Friends recalled his energy. He rode a bike from Mount Washington to his office at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center well into his 70s. He also wore large bow ties. Another Hopkins colleague, Dr. Roy Brower, a professor of medicine, described Dr. Permutt as "generous, warm, loving and caring. He was our guru." Dr. Brower said he once sought his advice on a difficult end-of-life problem but instead received "an opinion that was religious. I said, 'Sol, I came to you to get rigorous thought and instead I get religion.' He said, 'Well, I am the most touchy-feely person you will ever know.'" A bass, Dr. Permutt sang with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society and played the recorder and harmonica. Family members said he could identify classical music pieces after hearing only a few measures. He taught a course in opera at Roland Park Place. He also attended opera at theaters all over the world. He was the author of 232 scientific articles.