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Broadway’s Ken Page, star of ‘Cats’ and ‘The Wiz,’ has died at 70
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Broadway’s Ken Page, star of ‘Cats’ and ‘The Wiz,’ has died at 70

Ken Page, the formidable Broadway actor and voice of Oogie Boogie in the film “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” has died.

He was 70.

Page’s rep, Lance Kirkland, told TMZ that 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 adored by so many and will be so missed,” Kirkland added.


Ken Page as Ancient Deuteronomy
Ken Page starred in “Cats” at the Winter Garden Theater. Cats The Musical/YouTube

Page, who had a powerful baritone, is perhaps best known for playing Old Deuteronomy, the leader of the Jellicles, in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Cats” in the 1980s.

But more people will recognize his voice as that of Oogie Boogie, the villain from Halloween Town in 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 went on to play Nicely Nicely Johnson in the all-black revival of “Guys and Dolls” at the Broadway Theater in 1976, and he was part of the five-member original cast of the revue “Ain’t Misbehavin’” at the Longacre, alongside Nell Carter and André De Shields.

He then donned a big furry coat as Old Deuteronomy, the fatherly figure in “Cats,” who wails the tunes “Moments of Happiness” and “The Ad-dressing of Cats.”

Page appeared in other films besides ‘Nightmare’ and the 1998 filmed version of ‘Cats’.


Oogie Boogie
He is also known for voicing Oogie Boogie in ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. ©Buena Vista Photos/Courtesy of Everett Collection

He provided the voice of King Gator in 1989’s “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and played Max Washington in 2006’s “Dreamgirls” with Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles and Eddie Murphy with Jennifer Hudson.

Page’s last Broadway credit was in the 1999 musical “It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues” at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

British actress Elaine Page (no relation), who played Grizabella in ‘Cats’ opposite Ken Page in 1998, paid tribute to her fellow cat.

“My beautiful Old Deuteronomy, Ken Page, in the 1998 theatrical version of (‘Cats’), has gone to heavy tier,” she wrote. “We are certainly having a sad September. He was a sweet, kind, talented man. RIP Ken.”