Ken Page, voice of Oogie Boogie in ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas,’ dies at 70
Ken Page backstage during rehearsals at the 'Broadwayworld.com visits OZ, our 10th Anniversary Concerts' at Joe's Pub on Jan. 20, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Walter McBride/Getty Images)
Ken Page, known for his roles on Broadway’s "Cats" and voicing Oogie Boogie in Tim Burton’s "The Nightmare Before Christmas," has died. He was 70 years old.
Page’s death was announced on Tuesday by his talent agent Todd M. Eskin of ATB Talent Agency.
"He was simply one of the best, most generous souls I know. Full of life and overflowing with joy. Talented and then some. Ken, my friend, you will be deeply missed," writer-producer Tim Burton wrote on X.
A star on stage
Page made his Broadway debut in "The Wiz," playing the Cowardly Lion, and went on to portray Nicely-Nicely Johnson in "Guys and Dolls" with Robert Guillaume. He also was featured in the original cast of the Fats Waller musical "Ain’t Misbehavin,'" winning a Drama Desk Award, and was aboard when it returned to Broadway in 1988.
Page originated the role of wise Old Deuteronomy when "Cats" landed on Broadway in 1982 and went on to a then-record run, singing "Old Deuteronomy," "The Moments of Happiness" and "The Ad-Dressing of Cats."
Elaine Paige, who originated the role of Grizabella in "Cats" and reprised the role in the 1998 "Cats" film version, paid tribute to her co-star on X, saying Page "has gone to the heaviside layer" and adding, "He was a lovely, kind, talented man."
In 2010, Page revisited the Old Deuteronomy at the Muny — the Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis — and the critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said: "Page, a looming gentle presence, fills the role of the feline spirit guide to the hilt," adding, "Maybe nobody’s going to bow to a kitty while intoning ‘OH CAT,’ but Page can make you at least consider it."
Voice of Oogie Boogie
Page would perhaps make his deepest impact as the voice of Oogie Boogie, the burlap sack with hundreds of bugs crawling inside of him, in Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas.″ It was his character's hope to become the Seven Holidays King by kidnapping the Holiday Leaders for the other holidays. ""It’s hopeless/you’re finished/You haven’t got a prayer/’Cause I’m Mr. Oogie Boogie/And you ain’t going nowhere," he sang to Santa.
He would go on to reprise the Oogie Boogie role, including in video games and at the movie's 30th anniversary concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 2023.
His other notable roles include voicing King Gator in Disney’s 1989 animated film "All Dogs Go to Heaven," portraying the witty drag queen Murray in "Torch Song Trilogy," and his role in "Dreamgirls" as Max Washington alongside Beyoncé.