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Drake Hogestyn passed away on September 28 from pancreatic cancer after playing John Black, one half of the supercouple pairing of John Black and Marlena Evans, on Days of our Lives, since 1986. Now the woman who was his other half in that incredibly legendary pairing, Deidre Hall, is joining the legion of other members of the daytime community who have shared their heartfelt reactions to the tremendous loss.
Real & Reel Life
“For nearly 4 decades, Marlena Evans and I have loved the same man. Marlena’s John is an iconic hero, unfailingly rescuing her from all matter of villains,” Hall told Access Hollywood in an exclusive statement. “My acting partner was incredibly professional from the moment he entered the studio; flawless in his preparation and ready for any eventuality in any scene.”
She also told the site, “He was gracious and kind to everyone, from the executive staff to the night crew. Drake loved what he did and adored and respected everyone with whom he did it. Having said that, we always knew that his two greatest loves were his family and the Yankees.”
Of the actor’s wife and offspring, the actress said, “Victoria and their children were truly the center of his life.”
Hall concluded, “Drake is dearly loved by everyone who ever knew him and he will be missed beyond measure. We will continue, as he always encouraged us, to swing for the fences.”
In an interview she did in the spring of this year with Digest, the beloved star said of Hogestyn, “I think we do this very well,” she said, referring to the many romantic moments she’s filmed with her leading man over the decades. “I look forward to [these scenes]. It’s like that dance we’ve done for a hundred years… It’s so familiar and so warming to me.”
Hall knew that she and Hogestyn were playing an aspirational romance. In that same interview, she told Digest, “I think John and Marlena have replaced Tom and Alice in that role of the elder romantic statesmen in that it’s been a long-time, happy, successful marriage,” mused Hall. “They are the couple to look to, after Doug and Julie, to [ask], ‘How do you do it? How does it happen? What are you doing different than what we’re doing?’ They are the supercouple that you look up to.”
For a look back at Hogestyn’s life and career in photos, click here, and click here to relive six of John Black’s most iconic storylines.
