R.I.P. Ken Page, Broadway star and The Nightmare Before Christmas actor

Ken Page, the Broadway star behind numerous iconic musical roles and voiced the villainous Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas, has died. A rep for Page confirmed to TMZ that the actor died “very peacefully” in his sleep at his home in St. Louis on Monday. He was 70 years old. 

“He was a beautiful, talented man who was larger than life,” his rep Lance Kirkland told the outlet. “Ken was loved and adored by so many and will be missed so much.” 

Ken Page was born in St. Louis in 1954 and began his career at his hometown theater, The Muny. His first role on Broadway was part of the original cast of The Wiz, where he served as an understudy for the part of The Lion. He next appeared in the 1976 revival of Guys And Dolls which featured an all-Black cast, winning a Theater World Award for his role as Nicely-Nicely Johnson. In 1978 he was part of the original cast of Ain’t Misbehavin’, for which he won a Drama Desk Award. He also originated the role of Old Deuteronomy in the Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats in 1982; he reprised the role for the 1998 filmed version of the stage show. 

Page appeared on television several times throughout his career in shows like Gimme A Break! (opposite Ain’t Misbehavin‘ co-star Nell Carter), Sable, Family Matters, Adventures In Wonderland, Charmed, and Touched By An Angel. He was part of the cast of the 2006 film adaptation of Dreamgirls and lent his voice to the 1989 animated film All Dogs Go To Heaven. Most notably, he voiced Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas, a role he’d reprise for video games like the Kingdom Hearts series and in various concert appearances. Per Broadway World, in later years he had his own cabaret show Page By Page. He continued to appear frequently in shows at The Muny, most recently in the 2023 production of West Side Story and their 2024 production of Les Misérables.