Ken Page, the tremendous Broadway actor and voice of Oogie Boogie in the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” has died.
He was 70 years old.
Page representative Lance Kirkland told tmz He died “very peacefully” at his home in St. Louis on Monday.
“He was a beautiful, talented man who was larger than life. Ken was loved and respected by many and will be greatly missed, Kirkland said.
Page, who had a powerful baritone, is perhaps best known for playing Old Deuteronomy, leader of the Jellicles, in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Cats” in the 1980s.
But more people will recognize his voice as Oogie Boogie, the villain of Halloween Town from Tim Burton’s 1993 stop-motion film, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Page made his Broadway debut as the Lion in “The Wiz”, singing “I’m a Mean Old Lion” and “Ease on Down the Road”.
The actor played the role of Nicely Nicely Johnson in the all-black revival of “Guys and Dolls” at the Broadway Theater in 1976, and he was in the five-person original cast of the revue “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” With Longacre, Nell Carter and Andre De Shields.
He then dons a big furry coat as the fatherly Old Deuteronomy in “Cats”, who shouts out the tunes of “Moments of Happiness” and “The Ad-Dressing of Cats”.
Page also appeared in other films including “Nightmare” and the 1998 filmed version of “Cats”.
He voiced King Gator in 1989’s “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and played Max Washington alongside Eddie Murphy in 2006’s “Dreamgirls” alongside Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Hudson.
Page’s final Broadway credit was in the musical “It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues” in 1999 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.
British actress Ellen Page (no relation), who played Grizabella in “Cats” with Ken Page in 1998, paid tribute to her companion cat.
“My Wonderful Old Deuteronomy, Ken Page, in the 1998 theatrical film version [‘Cats’]Has gone into heavy layers,” she wrote. “We are certainly facing a tragic September. He was a lovely, kind, talented man. RIP Ken.”
