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Actor Drake Hogestyn, who played the role of John Black on the NBC daily soap Days of Our Lives, passed away due to pancreatic cancer in September 2024. Following his death, many of his cast mates from the show also paid tribute to him on social media. According to People magazine, the co-stars who remembered Hogestyn fondly included Kristian Alfonso, Christopher Sean, Alison Sweeney, and Genie Francis.
The cast and crew of Days of Our Lives also honored Drake by taking part in the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's walk, called the PanCAN PurpleStride. They named their team Hogey's Home Runners to honor his memory.
During that event, Hogestyn's Alex Corwin spoke to Access Hollywood and said that her father was "positive until the very end," stating that it was his personality.
"He was larger than life, he was Superman, he never wanted anyone to know that anything was wrong, which is why he kept this so private," Corwin said.
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The daily soap Days of Our Lives premiered on NBC in November 1965 and was created by Ted and Betty Corday. Set in the fictional city of Salem, the show follows themes of business rivalries, romantic relationships, family drama, and feuds. It revolves around the members of the Brady, Kiriakis, Horton, and DiMera families.
Former Days Of Our Lives star Drake Hogestyn's daughters opens up about their father at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's fundraiser event
At the event, Drake Hogestyn's daughters, Alex Corwin, and Whitney Herndon, opened up about how brave and kind their father had been until the very end. The veteran actor passed away in September 2024 after battling a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Actress Martha Madison plays the role of Belle Black, John Black's daughter on Days Of Our Lives. She was the driving force behind assembling Hogey's Home Runners and spoke to Alex and Whitney. She told them how much Drake meant to the cast, crew, and production of the soap and thanked them and the family for sharing him with the team for all these years.
At the event, Madison spoke about how Drake had previously been a baseball player before a professional actor. She said that this was why he often quoted popular sports quotes to them and followed his own advice when it came to leading his own life. She added that he would always tell her to go and swing for the fences.
All the actors shared how they had come together to spread awareness and fundraise for pancreatic cancer while honoring Drake's memory.
Actor Drake Hogestyn's role as John Black on Days Of Our Lives
Actor Drake Hogestyn joined the cast of Days Of Our Lives on January 24, 1986, and had been a part of the show for thirty-eight years. He played the character of John Black, a heroic and mysterious spy. He also donned many professional hats and was a police officer and a private investigator.
He starred in more than four thousand two hundred episodes of the soap opera and was the father of the character Belle Black. He had an epic on-screen romance with Marlena Hall, played by actress Deidre Hall.
Fans and interested viewers can watch and stream Days Of Our Lives episodes on Peacock.
