Ken Page, voice of Oogie Boogie, Old Deuteronomy in ‘Cats’ dies

The man who gave his voice to Oogie Boogie in “The Nightmare Before Christmas” has died.

Ken Page was 70.

Page’s representative said that he died peacefully at his home on Monday in St. Louis, The New York Times reported.

No cause of death was given.

“He sat down in his chair and went to sleep and that was it,” the representative told USA Today. “He was a beautiful, talented man who was larger than life. Ken was loved and adored by so so many and will be missed so much.”

Page had a long career on the stage with roles as the Lion in “The Wiz,” Old Deuteronomy in “Cats,” “Ain’t Misbhavin’” and “Guys and Dolls.”

His portrayal of Old Deuteronomy was recorded for the video release of the long-running Andrew Lloyd Webber musical in 1998.

The Muny shared a tribute to Page showing clips from various productions he appeared in as he sang “Memory” from “Cats.” He spoke about the legacy of the theater and the mission that entertainers his age have to pass on the classics to new generations. He was the voice of the St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre, where he got his start decades ago, since 2013, the Times reported. He most recently portrayed the Bishop of Digne in their 2024 production of “Les Misérables.”

Page was the voice of the spooky season thanks to his performance as Oogie Boogie, the living bag of bugs and “Boogie Man” from Tim Burton and Disney’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Since the 1993 release, Page has reprised the role several times for video games such as the “Kingdom Hearts” series and at Disney Parks. Disneyland currently is running the “Oogie Boogie Bash” for the Halloween season.

“I’ve done all of the voicing of Oogie Boogie since the very beginning until today,” Page said in an interview with Disney Parks in 2019. He called Oogie a “lovable” villain.

“He’s not the type of villain that really, really scares you, but you know he’s fun and he enjoys being the villain. I think that’s the key to him,” Page said.

Page shared that Halloween was his favorite holiday even when he was a child.

His agent said that Page was preparing for upcoming appearances as Oogie Boogie at the time of his death, The New York Times reported.

Page leaves behind his mother, Gloria, who said her son grew up listening to rock ‘n’ roll. He reflected on his love of music saying that he “grew up hearing Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke and Nat Cole. As a teenager, I loved Motown.”

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