Drake Hogestyn, who passed away on September 28, 2004 at the age of 70, was a legend in the soap world for his long run in the iconic role of beloved hero John Black on Days of our Lives, which began in 1986. Take a look back at his remarkable life both in front of and behind the camera with this gallery of photos and quotes from the Soap Opera Digest archives.
Remembering DAYS’s Drake Hogestyn In Photos
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Photo credit: X/DrakeHogestyn
Prior to his career in Hollywood, Hogestyn was a professional baseball player and played for a New York Yankees farm team.
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Photo credit: NBC
Drake Hogestyn began his legendary run on Days of our Lives on January 24, 1986 and Salem would never be the same.
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Photo credit: Julie Nathanson
Known as John Black aka The Pawn, Hogestyn's alter ego struck up a friendship almost immediately with Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall). She "discovered" that he was her believed-dead husband Roman and when they fell in love, their on-and-off love affair captured fans' hearts and lasted almost four decades, no matter what name he went by. As Hogestyn put it to Digest in 2015, "It was a bulletproof story to start with. She rescued him, she saved him, she believed in him."
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Photo credit: JPI
In 1986, when John was believed to be Roman, he and Marlena blissfully renewed their vows with many of their loved ones in attendance. Pictured, from l.: Patsy Pease (ex-Kimberly), Mary Beth Evans (Kayla), Christie Clark (ex-Carrie), Suzanne Rogers (Maggie), Hall, Hogestyn, James Reynolds (Abe), Charles Shaughnessy (ex-Shane) and Josh Taylor (then-Chris; Roman).
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Photo credit: NBC
After Marlena "died", John — still believed to be Roman — nearly married Diana Colville (Genie Francis); the duo consummated their relationship in Greece in 1987.
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Photo credit: NBC
In 1991, DAYS brought both Hall and Wayne Northrop, the original Roman, back to the show to much fanfare, kicking off not only Hogestyn's return to the role of John (as Northrop resumed playing Roman), but one of the most memorable love triangles in the show's history, as Marlena found herself torn between John and Roman.
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Photo credit: NBC
In 1992, John and Isabella (Staci Greason) were married, with Carly (Crystal Chappell) and Bo (Robert Kelker-Kelly) standing by their sides, right before she gave birth to their son, Brady. Isabella would soon die in her husband's arms.
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Photo credit: NBC
The devil worked hard, but John worked harder to save his lady love, when Marlena was possessed by Satan in 1994. "The exorcism story was really, really, really challenging," Hogestyn acknowledged to Digest in 2018.
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Photo credit: JPI
In 1997, John thought he was marrying Kristen but it turned out to be her lookalike, Susan (both played by Eileen Davidson). The doppelgangers' deception was exposed at the reception.
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Photo credit: JPI
Hogestyn and Hall went on location with DAYS to Hawaii to film John and Marlena's 1999 honeymoon.
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Photo credit: JPI
Hogestyn posed with his on-screen stepkids, Alison Sweeney (Sami) and Jensen Ackles (ex-Eric), along with Hall, in this shot taken in 2000 at the Universal Studios NBC Spectacular.
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Photo credit: JPI
(L. to r.) Hogestyn with the late John Aniston (ex-Victor), Davidson and Stephen Nichols (Steve) at the American Acoustics Unplugged Tribute Benefit for 9/11 that was held on Oct. 9, 2001. Hogestyn told Digest in 2015 that he felt lucky to have Nichols for an on-screen best friend. "Stephen and I are cut from the same cloth," he said. "He’s got a dressing room next to mine. Whenever we’ve got scenes together, we can run lines and rehearse. We’re both of the same mindset, which is just really studying at home."
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Photo credit: JPI
(From l. to r.) Hogestyn in a 2001 hoiday episode with veteran DAYS co-stars Suzanne Rogers (Maggie), John Clarke (Mickey), Frances Reid (Alice) and Hall.
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Photo credit: Jesse Grant/JPI
In 2002, daughter Belle (then played by Kirsten Storms) and Philip (Jay Kenneth Johnson) were on hand for John and Marlena's Las Vegas vow renewal.
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Photo credit: JPI
John and Caroline (the late Peggy McCay) had a strong bond stemming from the relationship they built when everyone thought he was her son Roman. This photo was from November, 11, 2011.
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Photo credit: X/DrakeHogestyn
Hogestyn's wife since December 31, 1986, Victoria, and their kids and grandkids were the true loves of his life.
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Photo credit: JPI
Hogestyn posed on set with former co-star Joseph Mascolo, who played the evil Stefano DiMera in 2014. The rivalry between their on-screen characters was legendary, and Hogestyn told Digest in 2015 that getting to work closely with Mascolo in the Maison Blanche story was one of his all-time DAYS highlights. "Working with Joe one-on-one, it was like these mini-movies, and I just ried to steal as much from him as I could because I just adore him," he beamed.
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Photo credit: JPI
Good friend Abe (James Reynolds) officiated yet another wedding between John and Marlena on August 23, 2018.
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Photo credit: X/DrakeHogestyn
The actor posed with his growing family around the holidays in 2019. Pictured (from l.): son-in-law Christopher and daughter Alexandra, son-in-law Tommy and daughter Whitney, wife Victoria, daughter-in-law Danica Stewart (ex-Jessica, PASSIONS) and son Ben (ex-Lucas, GH).
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Photo credit: XJJohnson/jpistudios.com
Tender moments like this one in 2023 between John and Marlena are just one of the many reasons "Jarlena" fans have loved their favorite couple for decades. "I think John and Marlena represent the kind of marriage that people would always like to have,” Hogestyn observed to Digest in 2023.
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Photo credit: NO CREDIT
The actor turned 70 in grand style in 2023, surrounded by his adoring family.
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Photo credit: XJJohnson/jpistudios.com
It was an incredible moment for John when he learned that Timothy (played by real-life pal and legendary Hollywood icon Dick Van Dyke) was his real biological father in 2023.
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Photo credit: INSTAGRAM/deidrehall_official
Here's Hogestyn pictured with Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie), the late Bill Hayes (Doug), and Hall, who shared the image on Instagram on February 22, 2024, writing, "John & Marlena, Doug & Julie: bookends of Days, holding a thousand other stories up across the shelves of Salem memories."
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Photo credit: JPI
John loved his sons, Brady (Eric Martsolf, l.) and Paul (Christopher Sean), and reunited with them in 2024 after he was held hostage in Missouri and rescued by Chad and Jack.
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Photo credit: JPI
One of Hogestyn's last scenes as John was with on-screen grandson, Tate (Leo Howard), giving him advice about his girlfriend, Holly, and comforting him over his father's troubles.
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Photo credit: JPI
Drake Hogestyn passed away on September 28, one day shy of his 71st birthday. He was a beloved member of the Days of our Lives family for decades. Reflecting on his career, the winding road his character had taken and the audience's embrace of him to Digest in 2014, Hogestyn smiled, "The one thing that has always remained the same is the support and undying belief in not only the character of John Black, but Drake Hogestyn, and for that, I will forever be indebted and amazed."
Prior to his career in Hollywood, Hogestyn was a professional baseball player and played for a New York Yankees farm team.
Photo credit: X/DrakeHogestyn
Drake Hogestyn began his legendary run on Days of our Lives on January 24, 1986 and Salem would never be the same.
Photo credit: NBC
Known as John Black aka The Pawn, Hogestyn's alter ego struck up a friendship almost immediately with Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall). She "discovered" that he was her believed-dead husband Roman and when they fell in love, their on-and-off love affair captured fans' hearts and lasted almost four decades, no matter what name he went by. As Hogestyn put it to Digest in 2015, "It was a bulletproof story to start with. She rescued him, she saved him, she believed in him."
Photo credit: Julie Nathanson
In 1986, when John was believed to be Roman, he and Marlena blissfully renewed their vows with many of their loved ones in attendance. Pictured, from l.: Patsy Pease (ex-Kimberly), Mary Beth Evans (Kayla), Christie Clark (ex-Carrie), Suzanne Rogers (Maggie), Hall, Hogestyn, James Reynolds (Abe), Charles Shaughnessy (ex-Shane) and Josh Taylor (then-Chris; Roman).
Photo credit: JPI
After Marlena "died", John — still believed to be Roman — nearly married Diana Colville (Genie Francis); the duo consummated their relationship in Greece in 1987.
Photo credit: NBC
In 1991, DAYS brought both Hall and Wayne Northrop, the original Roman, back to the show to much fanfare, kicking off not only Hogestyn's return to the role of John (as Northrop resumed playing Roman), but one of the most memorable love triangles in the show's history, as Marlena found herself torn between John and Roman.
Photo credit: NBC
In 1992, John and Isabella (Staci Greason) were married, with Carly (Crystal Chappell) and Bo (Robert Kelker-Kelly) standing by their sides, right before she gave birth to their son, Brady. Isabella would soon die in her husband's arms.
Photo credit: NBC
The devil worked hard, but John worked harder to save his lady love, when Marlena was possessed by Satan in 1994. "The exorcism story was really, really, really challenging," Hogestyn acknowledged to Digest in 2018.
Photo credit: NBC
In 1997, John thought he was marrying Kristen but it turned out to be her lookalike, Susan (both played by Eileen Davidson). The doppelgangers' deception was exposed at the reception.
Photo credit: JPI
Hogestyn and Hall went on location with DAYS to Hawaii to film John and Marlena's 1999 honeymoon.
Photo credit: JPI
Hogestyn posed with his on-screen stepkids, Alison Sweeney (Sami) and Jensen Ackles (ex-Eric), along with Hall, in this shot taken in 2000 at the Universal Studios NBC Spectacular.
Photo credit: JPI
(L. to r.) Hogestyn with the late John Aniston (ex-Victor), Davidson and Stephen Nichols (Steve) at the American Acoustics Unplugged Tribute Benefit for 9/11 that was held on Oct. 9, 2001. Hogestyn told Digest in 2015 that he felt lucky to have Nichols for an on-screen best friend. "Stephen and I are cut from the same cloth," he said. "He’s got a dressing room next to mine. Whenever we’ve got scenes together, we can run lines and rehearse. We’re both of the same mindset, which is just really studying at home."
Photo credit: JPI
(From l. to r.) Hogestyn in a 2001 hoiday episode with veteran DAYS co-stars Suzanne Rogers (Maggie), John Clarke (Mickey), Frances Reid (Alice) and Hall.
Photo credit: JPI
In 2002, daughter Belle (then played by Kirsten Storms) and Philip (Jay Kenneth Johnson) were on hand for John and Marlena's Las Vegas vow renewal.
Photo credit: Jesse Grant/JPI
John and Caroline (the late Peggy McCay) had a strong bond stemming from the relationship they built when everyone thought he was her son Roman. This photo was from November, 11, 2011.
Photo credit: JPI
Hogestyn's wife since December 31, 1986, Victoria, and their kids and grandkids were the true loves of his life.
Photo credit: X/DrakeHogestyn
Hogestyn posed on set with former co-star Joseph Mascolo, who played the evil Stefano DiMera in 2014. The rivalry between their on-screen characters was legendary, and Hogestyn told Digest in 2015 that getting to work closely with Mascolo in the Maison Blanche story was one of his all-time DAYS highlights. "Working with Joe one-on-one, it was like these mini-movies, and I just ried to steal as much from him as I could because I just adore him," he beamed.
Photo credit: JPI
Good friend Abe (James Reynolds) officiated yet another wedding between John and Marlena on August 23, 2018.
Photo credit: JPI
The actor posed with his growing family around the holidays in 2019. Pictured (from l.): son-in-law Christopher and daughter Alexandra, son-in-law Tommy and daughter Whitney, wife Victoria, daughter-in-law Danica Stewart (ex-Jessica, PASSIONS) and son Ben (ex-Lucas, GH).
Photo credit: X/DrakeHogestyn
Tender moments like this one in 2023 between John and Marlena are just one of the many reasons "Jarlena" fans have loved their favorite couple for decades. "I think John and Marlena represent the kind of marriage that people would always like to have,” Hogestyn observed to Digest in 2023.
Photo credit: XJJohnson/jpistudios.com
The actor turned 70 in grand style in 2023, surrounded by his adoring family.
Photo credit: NO CREDIT
It was an incredible moment for John when he learned that Timothy (played by real-life pal and legendary Hollywood icon Dick Van Dyke) was his real biological father in 2023.
Photo credit: XJJohnson/jpistudios.com
Here's Hogestyn pictured with Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie), the late Bill Hayes (Doug), and Hall, who shared the image on Instagram on February 22, 2024, writing, "John & Marlena, Doug & Julie: bookends of Days, holding a thousand other stories up across the shelves of Salem memories."
Photo credit: INSTAGRAM/deidrehall_official
John loved his sons, Brady (Eric Martsolf, l.) and Paul (Christopher Sean), and reunited with them in 2024 after he was held hostage in Missouri and rescued by Chad and Jack.
Photo credit: JPI
One of Hogestyn's last scenes as John was with on-screen grandson, Tate (Leo Howard), giving him advice about his girlfriend, Holly, and comforting him over his father's troubles.
Photo credit: JPI
Drake Hogestyn passed away on September 28, one day shy of his 71st birthday. He was a beloved member of the Days of our Lives family for decades. Reflecting on his career, the winding road his character had taken and the audience's embrace of him to Digest in 2014, Hogestyn smiled, "The one thing that has always remained the same is the support and undying belief in not only the character of John Black, but Drake Hogestyn, and for that, I will forever be indebted and amazed."
Photo credit: JPI
