“Ken Page dying is not the way to start off spooky season,” is the general feeling among fans of the iconic actor who brought life to, among many other characters, The Nightmare Before Christmas’ villainous Oogie Boogie. Page passed away at the age of 70 on Monday, as confirmed by his reps, and the Broadway veteran’s death instantly brought a wave of love and tributes to social media – especially from fans of the Tim Burton produced stop-motion movie that is just coming back into prominence in time for Halloween.
Page was already a prolific and much loved star of stage and screen when he took on the role of Oogie Boogie in 1993, endearing himself to a whole generation as the bug-filled antagonistic bogeyman of Halloween Town. With his signature self-titled “Oogie Boogie’s Song,” Page lent his baritone vocals to the darkly comical Broadway-style showstopper, becoming one of the standouts of the entire movie. One of the first to pay tribute was the man who created that song, Danny Elfman.
As news of his death was widely reported across social media, fans were quick to share their tributes, with the majority immediately citing his Oogie Boogie performance as their go to reference point for the actor. One user on X/Twitter summed up the feelings of many, writing, “My heart hurts from all this loss. Ken Page was a force every time he got on a stage. I got to see him play Oogie Boogie live three times at the Hollywood Bowl and every occasion, he dropped a wickedly entertaining performance. Nightmare won’t be the same without him. RIP”
Another fan made reference to Page’s recent rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid, which he performed at D23 just two months ago. They said, “Ken Page was the definition of the term “Broadway Legend”. He’ll be remembered for Oogie, of course, but he poured his heart and soul into every single performance. His rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” had just become a new favourite of mine.”
Here are some more of the tributes shared by fans of the actor.
Ken Page’s Career Spanned 5 Decades
Although it is clear that his role of Oogie Boogie has become his most iconic role for many people, Page starred in 35 projects on screen as well as numerous productions on Broadway, including the role of Old Deuteronomy in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats. His co-star, Elaine Paige, shared her own tribute to the actor.
His other roles included appearances in person on the TV shows Family Matters, Touched by an Angel and Charmed, as well as the musical movie Dreamgirls. He also provided the voice of King Gator in the Don Bluth animation All Dogs Go to Heaven. However, it was the role of Oogie Boogie that he returned to again and again in video games like Kingdom Hearts, and in live performances such as in The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl. It is going to make this Halloween season a little more poignant for fans of the movie as they relive the performance once again.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
is streaming on Disney+.