Days of our Lives Struggled To Film John Black’s Death While Drake Hogestyn Was Still Alive

John Black will die on Days of our Lives. Recently, viewers learned the news that Drake Hogestyn was involved in planning his character’s death while he fought cancer. Stephen Nichols, Mary Beth Evans, and Ken Corday, the soap’s executive producer, spoke out on how difficult it was to write and film the scenes.

Saying Goodbye To John Black

At the DAYS 59th-anniversary celebration, Nichols, Evans, and Corday spoke with Access Hollywood about the difficulty of saying goodbye to their friend and co-star on screen while they prepared to say goodbye in life.

“It’s actually nice to laugh here,” Evans said at the anniversary celebration. “Because we’d all been walking around like zombies.” Nichols chimed in, saying, “Drake would want us to celebrate. He would want us to be happy. He loved us all.”

The duo, who portray Steve and Kayla on the soap, revealed that DAYS left Hogestyn’s name on his dressing room door, which is right next to Nichols’. “I think it should be a shrine to him,” Nichols said.

MORE: See a peek at what happens next on DAYS.

Corday explained, “We left the door open in case Drake had rallied and beat it and wanted to come back. I was in contact with Drake through his entire illness, and it [John’s death] was done with his approval.”

Ultimately, both Evans and Nichols believed that fans will be happy with the way John’s death is told on the show. Evans revealed that the heartbreaking moments will include lots of flashbacks of John. Hogestyn joined the Peacock soap opera in 1986, so there is a lot of material to include.

“It really honors him, which is really beautiful,” Evans remembered.

Right now, we’re unsure when these scenes will air. Ahead of that will be Doug’s (Bill Hayes) death, which is coming up in early December, and the soap will mark 15,000 episodes. Soap Hub will bring you more details as we learn them. What are your favorite moments of Drake as John on the show? Let us know in the comments below.