Days of Our Lives star Drake Hogestyn, who was best known for his role as John Black on the hit Peacock soap, told his co-stars that he had approved of his character John Black’s death in Salem right before his own. Keep reading below for everything you need to know.
Days of Our Lives Star Drake Hogestyn Approved of John Black’s Death
Drake, who was with the soap for over 40 years, reportedly passed away peacefully, according to Page Six.
The actor passed away after his battle with pancreatic cancer. His rep says that Drake died peacefully in the company of his loved ones.
Executive Producer Ken Corday told Soap Opera Digest that he wanted to make sure Drake gave his approval on his character’s storyline in advance.
He said, “I wanted to make sure Drake signed off on this, and he was totally in favor of it. 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. It was extremely difficult and painful for us to tell it — for the cast, for everybody. Drake was a big part of the show. The consummate actor. Always a team player and pretty good-looking, too.”
Actor Stephen Nichols, who has been on the show with Drake since he began Days of Our Lives in 1986, said that filming John’s death felt like a punch in the gut.
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He put it this way, “The hardest thing I’ve ever done. And I didn’t, at first, agree with what was going on, because [Drake] was still living,” he shares. What made the difference for him was knowing that Hogestyn “gave his blessing to the storyline beforehand to Ken. So if it was okay with him, then I felt that I had to do my part.”
Steve also said he was in contact throughout Drake’s battle with his cancer.
“I was in touch with him every week, at least two or three days a week. We kept close, and I knew what was happening [with his health].”
But Steve also adds that filming John’s funeral “was difficult, but everybody pulled together. We held each other together to get through it. We did what we could do, and I’m sure Drake would be happy [with how it turned out].”
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