CNN
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Actor Drake Hogestyn, known for his role as John Black on the soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” has died after a battle with cancer, his family announced Saturday. He was 70 years old.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Drake Hogestyn. When he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he experienced the turning point of his life, but he met the challenge with incredible strength and determination,” read a statement from the Hogestyn family posted to the Days of Our Lives Instagram account. “After an incredible fight, he passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones.”

Other news outlets, including Variety and the Hollywood Reporter, also reported on his death.

The family’s statement describes Hogestyn as the “most wonderful husband, father, dad and actor” and emphasized his love of performing for the Days of Our Lives audience and working with the show’s cast, crew and production team.

“We love him and will miss him all the days of our lives,” the statement said.

According to IMDb, Hogestyn made his debut on Days of Our Lives in 1986 and appeared in more than 4,200 episodes. His work on the long-running soap opera earned him the Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Male Star in 1994 and 1995 and another win for Favorite Couple in 2005.