‘Days of Our Lives’ Says Goodbye to John Black 8 Months After Actor Drake Hogestyn’s Death

It’s the end of an era for Days of Our Lives, as the beloved character John Black said his final goodbyes on Monday’s (June 2) episode, eight months after his portrayer, Drake Hogestyn, passed away.

Hogestyn died from pancreatic cancer at his home in Malibu, California, on September 28, 2024, but his character lived on in Salem, though his fate had been sealed for a while. After returning to town in May, a devastating lab explosion left John with life-threatening injuries.

In Monday’s episode, John’s wife, Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), held her husband in her arms as he took his final breath. Since the explosion, John’s face had been concealed behind bandages; actor Allan Wayne Anderson portrayed the bandaged John. In the emotional scene, Marlena told John he didn’t have to fight anymore.

Hall took to Instagram on Monday to comment on the scene, writing, “I know. I know. Hardest day ever.”

 

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A post shared by Deidre Hall (@deidrehall_official)

Fans jumped into the comments to react to the heartbreaking episode, with one user writing, “What painful and raw scenes these must have been to film knowing that Drake had already passed! Deidre you were phenomenal today, and held it together with such grace and strength..It’s literally an end of an era for the show and for the fans!”

“So heartbreaking. Those tears, were real. It wasn’t acting. 🥺 Sending love. You were absolutely amazing, today, Deidre,” said another.

“You were sublime and heartbreaking. Sending so much love, Deidre. We love you . J&M will live in our hearts forever,” another added.

The end of John and Marlena love story

As memories flashback John Black codes and passes away in Marlena’s arms

Marlena cries and holds John in his final moment

RIP Drake Hogestyn #Days #Jarlena pic.twitter.com/pQuWrn1nAO

— Chrissi Nielsen (@NielsenChrissi) June 2, 2025

Another wrote, “I am in tears as I write this – I just finished watching John’s death and it was so sad and so touching at the same time. I can’t imagine how difficult this was for you and the cast. Drake was wonderful and he will be missed. Bless you both.”

“Amazing job, don’t know how you got thru those scenes. I’m still crying. My thoughts and prayers are with you and the entire cast. He will always be my favorite. RIP Drake/John,” one fan added.

Hogestyn played the role of John on Days from 1986 to 2009 before returning in 2011. His final appearance came on September 9, 2024 (filmed in February 2024), just two weeks before he died on September 28.

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Speaking to Soap Opera Digest in November 24, Days executive producer Ken Corday revealed that Hogestyn had signed off on John’s death prior to his passing.

“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; albeit [Drake] was fighting, like a tiger, a very difficult disease,” Corday explained. “And I made the choice to, ‘Okay, let’s tell the story.’ He hadn’t been on [the show] in nine months. We needed a reason [for John’s absence].”

“He and I were in contact,” he continued. “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.”

Days of Our Lives, Weekdays, Peacock