Broadway star Ken Page, voice of Oogie Boogie in ‘Nightmare Before Christmas,’ dies at 70

Ken Page, the Broadway baritone known for legendary musicals specified arsenic “Ain’t Misbehavin'” and “Cats” — and aboriginal lending his dependable to the classical animated movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas” — has died astatine property 70.

“Ken Page has passed onto the adjacent show. My bosom is broken,” person Dorian Hannaway wrote connected Facebook precocious Monday night.

A typical for the histrion confirmed his decease to USA TODAY connected Tuesday, saying Page “passed distant precise peacefully astatine his home” successful St. Louis.

“He sat down successful his seat and went to slumber and that was it,” the typical said. “He was a beautiful, talented antheral who was larger than life. Ken was loved and adored by truthful so galore and volition beryllium missed truthful much.”

Page, who won acclaim for his show arsenic Nicely-Nicely Johnson successful the 1976 Broadway revival of “Guys and Dolls,” besides starred arsenic the Cowardly Lion successful the archetypal groundbreaking accumulation of “The Wiz.”

He went connected to prima arsenic Old Deuteronomy successful the original 1982 Broadway accumulation of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Cats.”

His different theatre credits see the archetypal institution of “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” for which helium won the Theatre World Award for Best Actor.

Christophe Pierre (left) and Ken Page connected signifier performing successful the Musical “Guys and Dolls” astatine the National Theatre, Washington, DC, 1976. (Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)

In the pursuing years, Page gained a caller instrumentality basal arsenic the dependable of King Gator successful Disney’s 1989 animated movie “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and arsenic astir famously arsenic Oogie Boogie, the villain successful Tim Burton’s 1993 movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” He would besides bring that quality to beingness astatine Disney Parks and day events, on with successful the video crippled “Kingdom Hearts.”

On the large screen, the St. Louis autochthonal played a resistance queen successful 1988’s “Torch Song Trilogy,” and made a cameo successful the 2006 movie adaptation of “Dreamgirls.” Appearances successful “Family Matters,” “Touched by an Angel” and “Charmed” were among his TV credits.

In caller years, helium performed successful the cabaret shows “Page by Page,” “Right Here, Right Now” and “The Heart of a Man,” astatine venues specified arsenic New York City’s Birdland jazz club.

“He was simply 1 of the best, astir generous souls I know,” movie composer Danny Elfman, who wrote the songs and people for “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” shared successful an Instagram post Tuesday. “Full of beingness and overflowing with joy. Talented and past some. Ken, my friend, you volition beryllium profoundly missed.”