A Broadway veteran, and the voice of one of the most beloved characters in animation history, has died.
Ken Page was already a theater mainstay by 1993, when he voiced the character of Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Although Page gave many wonderful performances, his turn as Oogie Boogie will likely be the one he is remembered best for, at least by movie fans.
Sadly, Page died on Monday. According to TMZ, he “passed away ‘very peacefully’ in his home in St. Louis.” He was 70 years old.
In response to Page’s passing, composer Danny Elfman — who created the songs in Nightmare Before Christmas and provided Jack Skellington’s singing voice — wrote on Twitter “I’m still stunned by last night’s terrible news.”
“He was the one and only Oogie Boogie Man. He was simply one of the best, most generous souls I know. Full of life and overflowing with joy.”
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While Oogie Boogie was Page’s most high-profile role onscreen, he was very well known among theater lovers for his dynamic stage performances and his impeccable singing voice. In 1982, he was the first actor to portray Old Deuteronomy in the Broadway version of Cats. He reprised his role in the 1998 filmed version of the Broadway show as well, so if you watched that video a lot as a child, Page was your Old Deuteronomy.
Page’s other notable Broadway roles included the Lion in the first Broadway production of The Wiz, and Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the 1976 revival of Guys and Dolls. He was also part of the first Broadway cast of Ain’t Misbehavin. Onscreen, he also appeared in All Dogs Go to Heaven and Dreamgirls.
Even with his impressive resume, Oogie Boogie will likely remain Page’s longest-lasting legacy. In addition to the Nightmare Before Christmas film itself, Page reprised the role of Oogie Boogie in several video games, including multiple entries in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, and also voiced the character for Disney’s theme parks — where the annual Halloween celebrations still often include appearances by Oogie Boogie. People love that character — and Page’s amazing performance is a big reason why. He will be sorely missed.
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