Ken Page, Broadway star of THE WIZ, CATS and more, dies at age 70

BroadwayWorld is sad to announce that stage and screen actor Ken Page has died at the age of 70. Page is best known for his Broadway roles in The Wiz, Ain't Misbehavin', Cats and others.

Ken Page was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. Widely known as the voice of Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas franchise, he was in the original Broadway casts of The Wiz, Ain't Misbehavin', Cats and It Ain't “Nothin’ But the Blues”. He also appeared in the first Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls with an all-black cast. He has appeared at regional theaters throughout the United States and in London in productions of Randy Newman's Faust, Stephen Schwartz's Children of Eden, Jesus Christ Superstar, Aida, The Wizard of Oz, Les Misérables, My One and Only and Little Shop of Horrors on , and more.

He most recently appeared in The Munys productions of “Les Miserables” and “Waitress.”

In later years, Page developed and performed his cabaret singing show “Page by Page” and directed various regional and touring productions. Page was the voice of the infamous talking plant Audrey II in the Muny production Little Shop of Horrors. He also reprized the role of Old Deuteronomy in the Lubbock Moonlight Musicals production of “Cats in Lubbock, TX.”

In 2014, BroadwayWorld brought together a cast of stars to celebrate our 10th anniversary with BroadwayWorld Visits Oz, a special concert event at Joe's Pub to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Watch Ken Page sing “Be a Lion” from “The Wiz” with Olivia Hardy above!

In addition to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” his films also include “All Dogs Go to Heaven,” “Torch Song Trilogy,” and “Dreamgirls.” His television appearances include guest roles on Charmed and Touched by an Angel as well as various films and specials.

He regularly reprized his role as Oogie Boogie in several productions at Disneyland and Disney World, including HalloWishes, Halloween Screams, Haunted Mansion Holiday and Hocus Pocus Villian Spelltacular. He also lent his vocal talents to video games such as The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King and Oogie's Revenge, as well as the Kingdom Hearts series.