Beloved Baritone Ken Page Dies at 70

Beloved Baritone Ken Page Dies at 70

The Broadway alum’s golden vocals brought Old Deuteronomy from CATS and the Lion from The Wiz to life, along with Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Beloved baritone, stage star, and voice actor Ken Page died September 30, at the age of 70. Mr. Page’s passing was confirmed by his longtime friend, producer Dorian Hannaway.

Mr. Page possessed one of the most recognizable voices on Broadway, with a booming resonance that demanded respect from the first note. Born and raised in St. Louis, Mr. Page began his career in the chorus of The Muny before coming to New York, where he quickly became the toast of the town as the Lion during the original Broadway run of The Wiz.

From there, his Broadway career was varied, winning a Drama Desk award for his performance as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, performing in the original company of Ain’t Misbehavin’, introducing American audiences to the wise Old Deuteronomy in Cats, and performing in the revue It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues.

Favoring in-person performance, Mr. Page’s screen credits were few and far between, including 1988’s Torch Song Trilogy, the 2006 film adaptation of Dreamgirls, and the filmed stage performance of Cats. On television, he appeared in Gimme a Break!, Sable, Family Matters, Adventures in Wonderland, Touched By an Angel, and more.

In the recording booth, Mr. Page made an everlasting impact as the voice of Oogie Boogie in Tim Burton’s classic stop motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Indelibly linked to the month of October ever since the films 1993 premiere, Mr. Page frequently reprised his role for Disney, providing fresh vocal lines for Halloween celebrations and video games as the spectral voice of spooky season. 

In his later years, Mr. Page developed a cabaret show, titled Page by Page, which he toured across the country. Mr. Page returned frequently to the Muny, performing in more than 35 different productions (including several star returns to Cats), and had pursued a career in directing on the regional circuit. 

Information on a public memorial is forthcoming.