Executive producer Ken Corday adds: “This is a very difficult matter for all of us. Hogey was the ultimate team player and there are not enough words to express how much he will be missed. His impact on our show, personally and professionally, was profound and will forever remain unmatched.”

Donald Drake Hogestyn was born on September 29, 1953 in Fort Wayne, Indiana and attended North Side High School. He continued his education at the University of South Florida in Tampa, attending school on a baseball scholarship. He studied dentistry with majors in microbiology and applied sciences.

The athlete was drafted by both the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees. Hogestyn played third base on the Yankees’ farm team until his injury in 1977. When he turned to acting, Hogestyn participated in a Columbia Pictures talent search that attracted 75,000 people; He was one of the 30 selected candidates. His first major role was in the night drama Seven brides for seven brothers.

In 1986, the actor joined DAYS as the enigmatic John Black, a man whose origins pose more mystery than perhaps any other character in soaps. John was originally referred to as “The Pawn,” a story that has recently been explored.

Eventually it turned out that the farmer was the presumed dead Roman Brady (Wayne Northrup). He and Marlena were reunited in a gala ceremony and remarried. In 1991, Northrup returned to the series and it was revealed that Hogestyn’s character was not that of Shawn (Frank Parker) and Caroline (Peggy McCay). When Marlena found out he wasn’t really “Roman,” she went back to calling herself John.

No matter what challenge John and Marlena faced, their actors played their hurdles as a love story. Whether they were fighting Kristen (then Eileen Davidson; now Stacy Haiduk), Andre DiMera (Thaao Penghlis), Stefano (Joe Mascolo) or the misconception that Marlena was a murderer (she wasn’t), John’s love for Marlena – and hers for him – never, ever wavered. The two never stopped loving each other or refrained from showing that love.

John and Marlena tried to fight their feelings for each other. Despite Roman’s return, Marlena was attracted to John. They made love while she was married to Roman, and their daughter Belle (Martha Madison) was conceived. In the mid to late 90’s, John and Marlena were separated by the machinations of Kristen and Satan! John’s previous life as a priest came in handy when a possessed Marlena began levitating and had to be exorcised.

In 1999, after being freed from Kristen and Satan, John and Marlena remarried, but soon faced more challenges, including Princess Gina and the Salem serial killer. John was killed in 2007 but was later resurrected. Both Hogestyn and Hall left DAYS the following year and returned in the fall of 2011.

“I think audiences who have been watching for a while know that romance doesn’t die after 45,” Hogestyn said Soap center in 2022 as the show prepared to move from NBC to streaming platform Peacock. “There is still a love of romance there, in a more mature and deeper way. Snow on the roof, fire in the oven. It is the bond between two people. It’s what people want to see.”

Hogestyn’s other acting roles include: Criminal minds and the television film Christmas tree alley.

Drake Hogestyn is survived by his wife/high school sweetheart Victoria and their four children Whitney, Alexandra, Rachael and Ben (ex-Lucas, General Hospital) and four grandchildren. Since DAYS is taped several months in advance, viewers can expect to see Hogestyn on screen for a while longer.

Soap center extends its sincerest condolences to Hogestyn’s family, everyone at DAYS and the actor’s loved ones during this difficult time.