'Days of Our Lives' cast shot funeral for Drake Hogestyn's character as he was dying

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As Drake Hogestyn was in the end stages of his battle with pancreatic cancer, his Days of Our Lives cast mates and creative team wondered how they were going to end the story for his long-running character John Black on the daytime soap.

Rather than recast the part, executive producer Ken Corday went to Hogestyn’s family and got permission to conclude his nearly 40-year arc by killing off Black.

His funeral scenes were shot while Hogestyn was still alive last fall, but they offered closure to his co-stars.

“Drake, as the consummate storyteller that he is, said, ‘Absolutely. You gotta tell the story,’” Eric Martsolf, who played his son Brady, told Variety this week.

“Drake knew what he was facing. He understood that this is a story fans would want to be told. So Drake graciously said, ‘Yes, let’s do it.’ But knowing that this man was on the planet, and we were literally taping his funeral and his death, that was hard. It was really hard.”

Hogestyn died the weekend after producers filmed Black’s funeral sequence.

“There was literally zero acting going on during those three days,” Martsolf said. “Everyone was holding hands to the point where our hands were getting white.”

“For us, it felt like our responsibility and an honour to do it the very best that we knew how,” Martha Madison, who played John’s daughter, Belle, added. “The fact that we were losing Drake at the same time, it was very hard on us emotionally, as we’re losing someone we really love. We didn’t really have to perform. It wasn’t like we were having to dig for anything. It was just all right there.”

Madison said that saying goodbye to Hogestyn onscreen allowed his colleagues to mourn together.

“None of us were able to really see him or be with him towards the end. This was our opportunity to do it as a family, and do it together. And I thought it was so beautifully written — all of the flashbacks and really honouring his whole 40-year career on that show. It was all just very special,” she said.

According to the New York Post, writers figured out an exit for the character by crafting a story in which Black was injured in a lab explosion as he tried to help Steve (Stephen Nichols) discover a drug to save Bo (Peter Reckell). He later died in hospital with his wife, Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), close by his side.

Hogestyn died on Sept. 28, 2024, the day before what would have been his 71st birthday.

His family announced his death on the show’s Instagram page, telling fans he had shown “unbelievable fight” during his battle with pancreatic cancer.

“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Drake Hogestyn,” it read. “He was thrown the curveball of his life when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but he faced the challenge with incredible strength and determination. After putting up an unbelievable fight, he passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones. He was the most amazing husband, father, papa and actor. He loved performing for the Days audience and sharing the stage with the greatest cast, crew, and production team in the business. We love him and we will miss him all the Days of our Lives.”

Hogestyn joined Days in 1986 as John Black — who Variety described as a “mysterious and heroic spy, mercenary, police officer, private investigator and secret agent” — quickly becoming a fan favourite.

Alongside Hall, Hogestyn helped form one of daytime’s most enduring romances.

In a 2023 interview with PEOPLE, Hall reflected on the popularity of their Black and Evans’ relationship over the years with Days fans.

“We’re the couple that teaches you that people stay together through thick and thin, and they stay loving, and they stay sensual and sexual, and that’s worth fighting for,” she said at the time. “(Fans are) able to suspend the disbelief long enough to really sink into the story.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com