September 28th is a sad day for soap opera fans. Drake Hogestyn of “Days of Our Lives” has died just one day shy of his 71st birthday.
I’m shocked by this news. For as long as I can remember, Hogestine has been John Black to Deidre Hall’s Marlena Ivins.
He joined Days of Our Lives in 1986, the year I began a lifelong love affair with soap operas that I stayed associated with for the rest of my life, not counting the few times he was temporarily eliminated, which makes his death all the more sad. People are shocked.
‘Days of Our Lives’ Drake Hogestyn dies of pancreatic cancer
He kept his condition secret and worked as long as possible
In his last few appearances, Hogestyn looked very thin, but I had no idea he was sick.
John Blake had just been rescued from a bizarre kidnapping after being knocked out in Greece and tied up in an apartment in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. (This kind of story only happens in Salem!)
I think his character is supposed to be weak after going through hardships, that’s why he looks like this.
This makes the news that he died of pancreatic cancer even more shocking.
Although it didn’t look good, Hogestyn’s performance was as strong as ever, making it hard to guess that he was battling a terminal illness.
Of course, actors have the same right to medical privacy as anyone else, so Days of Our Live’s Drake Hogestyn had no reason to share his diagnosis with viewers.
Still, while Hogestyn looked sick, it didn’t occur to me that we might soon lose him forever.
That he chose to continue working as long as possible despite his diagnosis is both impressive and shocking. Like the characters he plays, he is always a warrior.
John Blake is at the heart of many current affairs stories
He was a loving father and grandfather and will be deeply missed
John has been worried about Brady in recent weeks and tried to talk him out of admitting to a hit-and-run accident he couldn’t remember causing. (Plot twist: Brady didn’t do this.)
There are also touching scenes of Tate encouraging his grandson Tate, who in recent years has been the only one able to deal with Brady’s naughty daughter, after he feels like he’s screwed everything up for Holly.
Days of Our Lives’ Drake Hogestyn has also given a stellar performance recently, as John struggles to overcome his guilt over killing Constantine’s daughter while being brainwashed into being a “pawn”; The John on screen now hasn’t quite shaken off this guilt.
As silly as the new Pawn story is, it’s fitting that one of his final storylines is a callback to his introduction to Salem.
Hindsight is 20/20, but I realize now that I would have appreciated the story more if I had known he wouldn’t be with us for long.
But I’m glad that before that, TV legend Dick Van Dyke guest-starred on Days of Our Lives as John’s long-lost father—the last of his kind, because John kept learning that he wasn’t The man he thought he was, and had to find his biological father again.
Van Dyke and Hogestyn were lifelong friends, and Van Dyke came up with the idea of working together while they were both working out in the gym.
This fascinating story makes me sad because I know that Hogestyn was healthy at the time and now passed away from a particularly debilitating disease.
From the beginning, most of John Blake’s stories revolved around Malina
Days Of Our Lives’ Drake Hogestyn and Marlena Evans have been a power couple for 38 years
Hogestine’s John Black will be remembered for his epic romance with Marina. Marlena has been the love of Hogestyn’s life since he appeared on the show.
There have been rumors for years that the two didn’t hit it off when they first met in real life, but had a close relationship off and on set. If this is true, then the current Chanel/Alex storyline is more meta-acting than I thought!
Regardless, I can never think of John without Marlena. He first saved her life when he was a pawn, and he did it over and over again.
Sometimes those tired TV tropes get tiresome. Marina has been the damsel in distress more times than I can count. But John’s love for her was unquestionable.
Not only did the couple survive numerous kidnapping and murder attempts, but in many other soap operas people were determined to tear them apart, such as:
- For years, John believed he was Roman Brady, but the real Roman showed up and wanted Marlena back.
- Sami developed mental health issues after witnessing John and Marina having sex on a conference table.
- Supervillain Orpheus turns his anger on John and attempts to steal Malina for himself after learning that John is not his old nemesis Roman
- Stefano Dimera tried countless times to get rid of John and make Marina fall in love with him
- Brady comes home from boarding school with a bad attitude and refuses to accept Marlena as his stepmother
- In a rage, Theresa Donovan hit John with a poker, causing him to fall into a coma.
When Marlena was presumed dead in a plane crash, John had several other partners, but Marlena remained the love of his life and what he will remember most.
Days of Our Lives’ Drake Hogestyn Might Be On Screen for a Time
‘Soap Opera’ is currently taped eight months before airing
Days of Our Lives was taped before it aired, which means there may be more John to show up before Hogestyn’s death is resolved on screen.
In November, it was revealed that the show would finally write Doug 10 months after Bill Hayes’ death in January 2024, but the cast of Hayes’ final episode had been cast a few months earlier. A commemorative plaque was erected in front.
Hogestyn’s death will likely be treated similarly.
His final scenes will be heartbreaking because he knows they are limited Quantity, even if there’s no sign the character will suffer his latest TV death anytime soon.
When the day comes that John, too, must die on the air, he will have left a gaping hole in the canvas that can never be fully filled.
Over to you, Days of Our Lives fanatics.
Hit the comments to share your sadness and memories of Days of Our Lives’ Drake Hogestyn.
Days of Our Lives airs exclusively on Peacock. New episodes air weekday mornings at 6/5c.
