BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that stage and screen actor Ken Page has passed away at the age of 70. Page is best known for his Broadway roles in The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Cats and more.

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 starred 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 in 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, Little Shop of Horrors , and more.

He most recently appeared in The Muny’s productions of Les Miserables and Waitress.

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

In 2014, BroadwayWorld gathered a host of stars to celebrate our 10th anniversary at BroadwayWorld Visits Oz, a special concert event at Joe’s Pub to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Watch above as Ken Page is joined by Olivia Hardy to sing The Wiz’s ‘be a Lion’!

Along with The Nightmare Before Christmas, his credits include All Dogs Go to Heaven, Torch Song Trilogy and Dreamgirls, and his TV work includes guest roles on Charmed and Touched by an Angel, as well as several films and specials.

He regularly reprized his role as Oogie Boogie in various productions at Disneyland and Disney World, including HalloWishes, Halloween Screams, Haunted Mansion Holiday and the 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, and the Kingdom Hearts series.