Days of our Lives star Drake Hogestyn knew his alter ego, John Black, would die, and he was “in favor” of it.
When Drake died in September, it came as a shock to fans, but his cast and crew members knew of his pancreatic cancer battle the whole time.
The actor filmed his final scenes as John last February, and they played out a couple of weeks before he died.
Drake’s horrible battle left executive producer Ken Corday and the writers in a terrible predicament.
They had to explain John’s absence during times when the character would have never been MIA, like Brady (Eric Martsolf) being accused of driving drunk, leaving Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) paralyzed.
After a sneak peek at Season 60 of Days dropped at the annual Day of Days event, Ken opened up about the decision to have John die while Drake was still alive.
Days of our Lives star Drake Hogestyn approved of John Black’s death
In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Ken explained Drake hadn’t filmed scenes for months when Ken decided to have John die after he goes missing.
The executive producer revealed that he was in touch with Drake throughout the storyline and his cancer battle.
“I wanted to make sure Drake signed off on this, and he was totally in favor of it. He trusted me,” Ken expressed.
Despite the fight Drake was in, Ken and the rest of his Days of our Lives family were hopeful he would return to the show.
“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,” he shared.
The decision to have John’s death play out when Drake was not only alive but doing his damndest to beat cancer was not easy for anyone involved.
“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,” Ken gushed to Soap Opera Digest.
When will John Black’s funeral air on Days?
There hasn’t been an air date for when John Black dies or even when the storyline regarding his disappearance begins. We know that Days of our Lives films months in advance.
However, since the storyline involving John was in the works before Drake died in September, fans may not be waiting as long as we initially thought.
All signs signify a tribute to John Black and Drake Hogestyn during May sweeps 2025. The timing coincides with many huge returns revealed, including Christie Clark as Carrie.
Another reason John’s passing won’t be until at least the middle of next year is the upcoming tribute to Bill Hayes and Doug’s on-screen death. That will round out this year, and the good people of Salem will need more time before another death rocks the town.
In other Days news, Stephen Nichols (Steve) teased the episodes honoring Bill and Drake, and you can read all about it here.
Days of our Lives airs weekdays on Peacock.