DAYS: R.I.P. Drake Hogestyn (John Black, Days of our Lives)

[Jdee43]

Fans should be grateful they didn't totally destroy his character.  They tried from 2006-2015.

They should have always kept his character decent and heroic. When they tried to make him angry and dark, it didn't work. It was always like the real John wouldn't be angry, or he wouldn't treat Marlena that way, etc; it always felt false. If making him dark was a matter of trying to distinguish John from the other heroic characters, like what Roman was supposed to be, then instead of going dark, I would have rather seen them make John Roman again. 

At least in the last few years, they did make John heroic and decent, so he did feel like the same guy from the 80s and 90s; that was a positive.

Edited September 30, 2024 by Jdee43

[edgeofnik]

@JAS0N47 Does that mean Drake last on set in Dec 23 or Jan 24?

Gosh, the cast and crew probably have been living with knowing his health was declining for a while. It's just so tragic.

[JAS0N47]

They tape things all out of order, but I would guess either late January or early February.

[JAS0N47]

A LOOK BACK: DRAKE HOGESTYN'S FIRST MONTH ON "DAYS"...JANUARY 1986 DAILY CAST CHART

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[Darn]

I was never quite sold on Stefano’s obsession with Marlena but John? Absolutely.

And fine, I’ll say it some of my earliest memories watching Days involved a hairy, glistening, shirtless John saving…someone from something or other? He and the show fully got my attention.

Beyond his good looks he was drowning in charisma. Drake just radiated heroism and kindness and a pure love of what he was doing. There wasn’t a scene he phoned in.

His chemistry with Deidre was unparalleled. I don’t think there’s actually been a sexier couple on daytime than these two and they were still bringing it well into their 60s. 
 

This loss is leaving a huge hole on the daytime landscape. John was the type of hero that simply doesn’t exist anymore and most of that affability came from Drake, an actor who was equally parts sexy leading man and loving dad. He’ll be missed.

 

[Gray Bunny]

Well said. 
 

Gosh, this show could really use Peter Reckell back full-time now… 

 

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[janea4old]

 

I wasn't watching that year, but I hear that Tom Casiello was the DAYS breakdown writer for John Black's 2007 death storyline?

[JAS0N47]

A LOOK BACK: 1995 HOLLYWOOD REPORTER AD: DRAKE HOGESTYN CONGRATULATES "DAYS" ON ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY...

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[Roman]

Stephen Nichols via Instagram:

My dear friend, Drake Hogestyn has passed. This loss is overwhelming.

Drake was a man's man with a huge heart. He was kind, respectful and honest. I never heard him speak a negative word about anyone. He was on a very short list of exceptional people I have known in my lifetime. He was a mentor without knowing it. I learned so much from Drake by his example. Humility, perseverance, forgiveness. We had long talks in his dressing room after working on our scenes. He spoke so lovingly about his beautiful family who he cherished above all else. Drake would tell me about his history, playing baseball, coming to Hollywood, getting into acting. He also shared triumphs and a few heartaches having to do with his long career on Days with such honesty. I felt privileged to be a sounding board, to have his trust. And he had mine. I could tell him anything; and recently when I was going through a rough time when I lost my sister to cancer, he was there for me and he listened and asked how I was doing daily.

Drake was a storyteller. Ask anyone around the studio. He could spin a tale, and he remembered his adventures in such detail and always throwing in baseball metaphors whenever he could. Drake loved his time as a ballplayer. And on our Days softball team he was, of course, our star player.

Drake and I began our working relationship in 1986. No one hit the stage with more commitment and enthusiasm than Drake. He inspired and energized me and everyone around him. He loved coming to work and showed up early to workout in the wee hours of the morning. I'll miss hearing the whirring of his stationary bike and the clanging of dumbbells-we were dressing room neighbors.

Just being in Drake's presence was enough to get a jolt of positivity. He was one of those special souls who exuded joy and love for life. The Days of Our Lives cast, crew, and tans (who he was always so kind to) have suffered a great loss. It has been palpable how much Drake was loved and has been missed during these months without him at the studio.

I kept in close touch with Drake throughout his illness and even through his darkest times he always threw in an optimistic phrase like ... "not much positive to report, but I still believe in Santa." Drake fought hard. That's who he was. A man with an iron will, who would not give up. In the fictional town of Salem, we were partners in Black Patch Private Investigations. In life we were good buddies who always had each other's backs. I'm at a loss without you, Drake. I will always remember our long talks about our families and our "out of body experiences." I'll miss your sweet smile and your greeting, "Hey, partner, come on in" when I knocked on your door to run our scenes, and your strong shoulder squeezes and pats on the back. And God knows, I will miss sharing the stage with you. You worked hard and left us a legacy of beautiful work. Rest easy, partner. I'' always love you and I'l never forget what a positive impact you've had on my life. That's a fact. My love and condolences to Victoria and his beloved family.

[px780]

This one really stings. I don't think I realized until just now that this actor, that John Black, somehow epitomize soap opera to me, as a concept. The character's ever-shifting backstory, the actor with the amazing over-the-top eyebrow raise (I say that with admiration and love)...the feeling like he'd always just be there (as soaps never end, mostly). Dude wasn't just Days to me, it seems. He was Soap Opera in the best way. 

Related, it's nice to read so many detailed tributes highlighting what a good guy he was. It's nice of him as he passes to help show that there still are good people out there. 

[AbcNbc247]

Christie Clark and Stephen Nichols… 

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[JAS0N47]

A LOOK BACK AT SOME OF DRAKE HOGESTYN'S SOAP OPERA DIGEST COVERS...

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[janea4old]

A Martinez 
https://www.instagram.com/p/DAihlZCxZIR/

abonemartinez (A Martinez)
|||||||
It was a perfect weekend. I’d scored a well-paying PR gig somewhere in Appalachia, and my partner for the trip was gonna be Drake Hogestyn. He was an actor I greatly admired, and even though we worked on the same studio lot in Burbank –– Drake on the legendary Days of Our Lives and me on the upstart Santa Barbara –– we’d never met. I expected we’d be comparing notes and telling stories about the fun and challenges of Daytime TV –– a particular kind of job that not too many people get to talk shop about.

What I didn’t know was that Drake carried a serious history as a ball player –– having attended the University of South Florida on a baseball scholarship, been drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees, and played professionally in the Yanks organization until an injury stopped him. His path was a path I had dreamed of, and his generosity in recounting the details of it was a treasure. The dude had the receipts.

When we got to the venue and met the fans, he conducted a masterclass at how to light up a crowd. He was warm and quick and funny and cool and did one-armed pushups on the spot without warming up because someone dared him to. I watched and wondered at his ease, and it extended to the quieter moments in the autograph lines, when he offered himself genuinely to people. Drake was born to connect.

We ended up living in the same town and watching our children dance together and grow up gracefully. (Drake and Victoria have created a wonderful family.) And finally, we got to work on DOOL together for a while. He’d become a full-on sage by then, and like many, I considered it an honor to be in his presence. We’d meet up in his dressing room to work on our scenes, but usually default to the roles we played on that first plane ride decades before: Drake would tell stories and I would listen.

I wept today when I heard he’d crossed over. It’s the season of so many losses now for us OGs –– some seen coming, some like bolts from the blue. But losing Drake Hogestyn was a whole other level of shock. He was strong as a rock and an extraordinary human being.

Warm wind forever at your back, brother.

Edited September 30, 2024 by janea4old

[Cheap21]

Oh no! This hits differently bc with the actors that played Alice, Doug, Stefano, Victor, you kinda expect it bc they always been old but I grew up on John so Drake didn’t feel that old to me. I don’t even know he was sick 

[j swift]

That certainly contextualizes Eric Martsolf's posting about John comforting Brady.  Thank you for your intrepid reporting on this subject. 

Edited October 1, 2024 by j swift