Oogie Boogie voice actor and Broadway star Ken Page has died

WASHINGTON — Broadway star Ken Page, who voiced the character Oogie Boogie in the classic animated film “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” has died. 

Born and raised in St. Louis, Page’s theater career spanned decades. He made his Broadway debut in the all-Black revival of “Guys and Dolls” as Nicely-Nicely Johnson. He would later play the Lion in “The Wiz” and Old Deuteronomy in “Cats.” He was introduced to a global audience as Old Deuteronomy in a 1998 video recording of the Andrew Lloyd Webber show. Page’s Broadway and West End credits also included “Guys & Dolls” and “Ain’t Misbehavin.’

Outside of his stage work, Page is widely known for voicing Oogie Boogie in the 1993 Tim Burton film. He recreated his role at live to film concerts at The Hollywood Bowl, and theaters around the world, on multiple occasions. 

During a 2019 interview with Disney Parks, he noted that he’s “done all of the voicing of Oogie Boogie since the very beginning until today” and felt that Disney fans love “Oogie” because he’s 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. 

A representative for Page confirmed to multiple media outlets that the actor “passed away very peacefully at his home” in St. Louis on Monday. 

“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.”

Since 2015, Page has also served as “the voice of The Muny” and appeared in more than 45 musicals at the St. Louis outdoor summer theater. The St. Louis Arts and Education Council also awarded Page a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.