Broadway Vet and Voice Actor Ken Page Dies at 70 — Details on His Cause of Death

Disney's The Nightmare Before Christmas fans are saddened by the news of Ken Page's death. The actor who voiced the film's iconic character, Oogie Boogie, was 70.

Ken died on Sept. 30, 2024, and his death was confirmed on Oct. 1. As fans continue to mourn, here are the details of the stage and screen actor's cause of death.

At this time, Ken's cause of death is unknown. According to TMZ, the actor's rep, Lance Kirkland, confirmed that he died "very peacefully" in his sleep while in his home in St. Louis, Mo. The rep also shared a snippet of Ken's legacy with the outlet.

"He was a beautiful, talented man who was larger than life. Ken was loved and adored by so many and will be missed so much."

Ken's friend and fellow actor Dorian Hannaway, also confirmed he died with a statement on her Facebook account.

"Ken Page has passed onto the next show," she wrote on Sept. 30. "My heart is broken."

Ken's voice-acting role as Oogie Boogie was just one of the St. Louis native's many acting accomplishments.

His IMDb page states that he started on Broadway in 1975 with a role in The Wiz as the show's Lion. Ken continued making a name for himself in theatre in a role as Old Deuteronomy in the original Broadway cast of Cats. During his 20-plus year career on the stage, he also performed in Guys and Dolls and Ain't Misbehavin.' His time in Ain't Misbehavin' earned him a Drama Desk Award for outstanding actor in a musical in 1978, per Playbill.

Ken died without much information on his personal life, though it appears he didn't leave behind a marriage or kids. In a 2012 interview with St. Louis Magazine, he confirmed he was an open member of the LGBTQIA community. However, he never identified as gay and encouraged younger people not to be tied to the label.

"I’m not closeted, never have been to my knowledge,” he told the outlet. “But ‘gay’ means so many different things to people.”

Rest well, Ken!