Drake Hogestyn’s Final Farewell: A Poignant Goodbye to John Black on Days of Our Lives
Nov 7
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In a powerful send-off that Drake Hogestyn approved.
In a deeply emotional turn of events, Days of Our Lives fans are preparing to bid farewell to John Black, the iconic character portrayed by the late Drake Hogestyn, who passed away on September 28, 2024, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. This final chapter for John was not just a storyline but a meaningful tribute, one that Hogestyn himself approved in collaboration with Executive Producer Ken Corday.
In a recent interview with Soap Opera Digest, Corday opened up about the delicate and heart-wrenching process of telling John’s story in light of Hogestyn’s illness. “We were rolling the dice, because it’s difficult to tell a story of someone’s death or a character’s death while the actor is still alive,” Corday explained, acknowledging the challenges and emotions involved. He added, “Drake was fighting, like a tiger, a very difficult disease...and I made the choice to, ‘Okay, let’s tell the story."
Despite the deeply personal nature of the storyline, Hogestyn remained fully on board with Corday’s vision. “I wanted to make sure Drake signed off on this, and he was totally in favor of it,” Corday said. “He trusted me...Had Drake, God willing, beaten this, he would’ve come back, and it would’ve been something different. But [the story] had to be told.”
For those closest to Hogestyn, such as his on-screen partner, Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans), and longtime friend Stephen Nichols (Steve “Patch” Johnson), the loss has been profound. Nichols, who was in frequent contact with Hogestyn as his illness progressed, reflected on the support that the cast offered one another during the filming of John’s fictional funeral. “We held each other together to get through it...Drake was a big part of the show,” Nichols shared.
Deidre Hall, who had shared decades of scenes with Hogestyn as part of Salem’s most celebrated super-couple, kept her focus on John and Marlena’s story rather than Drake’s personal journey. “I wouldn’t touch that with a 10-foot pole,” she said, maintaining a sense of separation from his real-life illness to respect the hopeful spirit he brought to the set. Hall emphasized Hogestyn’s enduring optimism: “Drake was still with us...he was fighting the good fight. So we had not said goodbye to him yet, and we weren’t thinking goodbye to him at that point.”
This tribute storyline promises to be a heart-rending experience for viewers, allowing fans to mourn and celebrate a beloved character alongside the cast who knew and admired Hogestyn. As Corday expressed, “Drake was the consummate actor...He always went above and beyond.” His legacy and impact on the show’s history remain undeniable, and Salem will undoubtedly feel the loss.
For Days of Our Lives fans, John’s storyline is a chance to honor Hogestyn’s incredible contributions to the world of daytime television — a final, poignant chapter for a character, and an actor, who was truly one of a kind.
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