Days of Our Lives has officially written out one of its most iconic characters.
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Monday's episode of the long-running soap opera marked the emotional on-screen death of John Black, played for nearly four decades by actor Drake Hogestyn. The character flatlined in a hospital room, his wife Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) at his side, just months after Hogestyn passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 70.
"You've put up the bravest fight I've ever seen," Marlena said in the scene. "I know you're weary. If you need to go, it's okay."
Black, whose body was fully bandaged following a lab explosion, had been injured while trying to help save another character, Bo Brady (Peter Reckell). Meanwhile, the show's creative team chose to obscure his face, acknowledging the character's death without recasting or using visual effects.
A montage of John and Marlena's decades-long romance followed, including flashbacks of weddings, reunions, and dramatic near-deaths. The couple had married six times on the series.
"We'll always have you in our memories," Marlena said softly. "You can rest now."
That particular scene was deeply personal for Hall, who shared her own reaction on Instagram shortly after the episode aired. "Hardest day ever," the 77-year-old actress wrote.
'Days' Character Reaches End
Peter Reckell, who returned as Bo for the tribute, said there was little acting required. "Drake touched everybody in his sphere," he told TV Insider. "He was my brother, one of my best friends. Saying goodbye as Bo mirrored how I felt as Peter. It was overwhelming."
Hogestyn's final appearance on Days aired September 9, 2024, less than three weeks before his passing. The show acknowledged his death publicly on September 28, one day before what would have been his 71st birthday.
"He faced the challenge with incredible strength and determination," the show's Instagram statement read. "He passed peacefully, surrounded by loved ones (and) was the most amazing husband, father, papa, and actor. We love him, and we will miss him all the Days of our Lives."
Executive producer Ken Corday confirmed the storyline was shaped with Hogestyn's blessing before his passing. "He signed off on everything," Corday told Soap Opera Digest. "It was his way of saying goodbye."
Hogestyn first joined Days of Our Lives in 1986. Over 38 years, he appeared in more than 4,200 episodes. As John Black, he played everything from a priest to a spy to a presumed-dead amnesiac. Through it all, fans stuck with him. And so did Marlena.
