drake hogestyn Poignantly ended his time as John Black on the long-running soap opera “Days of Our Lives.”
A representative of the show confirmed this People On Tuesday that Hogestyn, who tragically died of pancreatic cancer On Saturday, at the age of 70, he starred in his final episode of “Days of Our Lives” on September 9.
In the episode, Hogestyn’s John shares some touching moments with his grandson, Tate (leo howard), who is struggling with his girlfriend, Holly (Ashley Puzemis), finding out who was responsible for her father’s death.
Tate tells his grandfather that he and Holly had a “huge fight” after she revealed that her uncle Eric (Greg Vaughn) was responsible for his father’s death. Despite Tate believing she already knew, Holly was stunned by the news.
John consoles Tate with wise words, and suggests he give Holly some “space”. When that didn’t work, he proposed to Tate by sending Holly a message to let her know he was thinking about her.
After texting Holly, John assured Tate, “She will [read it]And I’m sure she’ll let you in when she’s ready.”
John also spent time with his son Brady (Eric MartsolfWhile that episode focused primarily on the three generations of men, Hogestyn shared his final scenes with his leading lady, Marlena (Deidre Hall), in the September 5 episode.
Hogestyn joined “Days of Our Lives” in 1986 as the mysterious character “The Pawn” before becoming a fan favorite as John Black. He starred in the hit soap opera for 38 years and filmed over 4,200 episodes.
John has had many beloved partners over the years, but he and Marlena won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Couple in 2005.
“With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Drake Hogestyn,” the show’s official Instagram wrote in a message. statement“The biggest shock of her life came when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but she faced the challenge with incredible strength and determination.”
“After fighting an incredible battle, he passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones. He was the most amazing husband, father, dad 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.
Following Hogestyn’s death, her co-stars paid tribute to her on social media.
“My heart,” actress Kristian Alfonso, best known for playing Hope Williams Brady on the show, wrote Instagram“I will always remember you as a loving, loving father, husband and dear friend, but mostly as an incredible, passionate human being, generous and extremely kind, always… thank you for the love you showed me on and off the set. “Drake, you were always our hero.”
“Love you,” the 61-year-old concluded. “May her soul rest in peace. My dear friend.”
Genie Francis, who played Diana Colville, wrote: “So sad to hear about the passing of Drake Hogestyn. What a wonderful and kind man. It was a pleasure to work with him. I always loved how much he loved his wife and children.”
In a flurry of heartfelt messages, Hogestyn’s co-star Ali Sweeney also sent her love.
“Drake was an incredible person. He was funny, generous and thoughtful. He cared about every scene, every person. He loved Days, the fans and shared that passion with everyone on the set,” the 48-year-old shared Instagram“My heart breaks for his family, they were everything to him. He was a huge part of my life in Days. I will miss him dearly and will cherish every story, every joke and every hug.”
