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Drake Hogestyn was an American actor known for playing the role of John Black on Days of Our Lives. The actor passed away due to pancreatic cancer on September 28, 2024, marking the end of John Black's character on the Peacock soap opera.
According to the storyline of Days of Our Lives, Drake's character, John, was on a dangerous mission and was missing in action. Although the soap opera did not showcase an exit arc of John's character, it was revealed that he was on a secret mission while on an international assignment.
Marlena was worried about John and teamed up with Steve to search for him. They went to Estonia and ended up facing John's old enemy, Orpheus.
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Although they defeated Orpheus, they found no answers and had to return home without John. His location is still unknown, but Marlena is determined to find out what happened to him
Days of Our Lives: A glance at John Black's character
John Black, portrayed by Drake Hogestyn, appeared on the Peacock daytime drama Days of Our Lives from November 18, 1985, to January 29, 2009. After a short break of around two years, John's character returned to Salem on September 26, 2011, and continued appearing on the show till 2024.
In the episodes of the show released in June 2024, John felt guilty after talking to Konstantin about what happened with the latter's daughter. To deal with his guilt, John told Marlena, his wife, that he needed to leave Salem and trace Catherine's grave to apologize to her for his past deeds.
It was revealed that Marlena heard from John for the last time when he landed in Greece, after which he completely disappeared from the storyline.
Throughout John Black's tenure on the show, his character faced numerous challenges in Salem on Days of Our Lives, including his turbulent past and memory loss. Since his character experienced multiple identity shifts, he started believing that he was a DiMera pawn, a mercenary, and a former priest.
John Black's romantic engagement with Marlena was also a major aspect of his character that contributed to driving his narrative forward. After finding out the truth about his connection with the DiMeras, he got entangled in significant conflicts in Salem. He often clashed with Stefano DiMera, as the latter continued to manipulate his memories for his own selfish agenda.
More about Drake Hogestyn's life and career as his character, John Black, is missing in action
Drake Hogestyn was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on September 29, 1953. The American actor graduated from North Side High School and pursued his higher education at the University of South Florida in Tampa on a baseball scholarship. On the personal front, he got married to Victoria, his wife, with whom he shared four children.
Drake Hogestyn won several awards and received numerous prestigious nominations for his performances on film and television. He was consecutively declared as the winner for the Hottest Male Star in both 1994 and 1995 at the Soap Opera Digest Awards. Additionally, he was nominated for the same category in both 1997 and 1998.
Beyond playing John Black on Days of Our Lives, Drake Hogestyn appeared in multiple films and television shows, enhancing his acting portfolio. Hogestyn's fans could catch a glimpse of the actor in many popular productions such as One Stormy Night, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues, Criminal Minds, Otherworld, Christmas Tree Lane, Generation, and Night Sins.
Fans of Days of Our Lives can watch new episodes of the show on Peacock.
