Was Drake Hogestyn Alive When John’s Funeral Was Shot? DAYS Cast Reveals Truth

Soap fans who don’t even watch Days of Our Lives are well aware that the iconic Drake Hogestyn had died in September 2024. The actor, who has played the heroic John Black since 1986, has touched many lives throughout his career. Now, several cast members got together to discuss their experiences with the beloved actor and revealed what happened with filming around the time of his passing.

It Was Tough

Quite a few DAYS stars, including Peter Reckell (Bo), Christopher Sean (Paul), and Stephen Nichols (Steve), participated in a video for the Michael Fairman Channel. Among them were also Eric Martsolf (Brady) and Martha Madison (Belle), whose characters were the children of John. The two were asked about filming the scenes with John’s stand-in, whose head was bandaged because of an explosion, and the fact that Hogestyn was ill and couldn’t film them himself.

Madison stated, “So we shot the funeral before he passed away, and that was really tough,” adding, “I think we all knew that it it was that it was imminent.” She further added that she hardly remembered the filming because it felt like an out-of-body experience. “I was snotting through the whole thing,” she remarked. (Find out how the fans honored Hogestyn.)

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The Family Approved It

Martsolf noted that in all of John’s final scenes, the actors weren’t acting. “It was just people feeling.” He was also moved by the many actors who returned so their characters could share good times they had with John, and he noted, “You could sense that these stories were just about Drake Hogestyn as well,” he stated, continuing with, “It was just people that loved him pouring their hearts out and I’m looking forward to to seeing it again.” He stated that while it was difficult, it was worth doing.

Madison explained that after they filmed on a Friday, the show was going into hiatus, remarking, “I think he passed away that night or the next day…as if on cue.” Martsolf added, “Like a true storyteller.” He further noted, “It should also be stressed that the [Hogestyn] family signed off on this and Drake signed off, and it was like ‘yeah man tell the story.'”