Days Of Our Lives John’s Funeral Coming Soon – Filmed While Actor Was Alive, Drake Hogestyn Approved

Days of Our Lives (DOOL) spoilers indicate that loved ones are still mourning the death of the late and great Drake Hogestyn, who passed away of pancreatic cancer this past September. Fans of the show saw his last scene take place later that month.

As DOOL viewers await the show’s official goodbye to the soap legend, a report reveals that John Black’s funeral may come sooner than expected.

DOOL Spoilers: Due To the Soap’s Filming Schedule, Tributes Often Are Aired Later

Days spoilers remind fans that the soap films several months ahead of time, so tribute specials for actors who have passed are often aired well after someone has died.

A fine example of this is Bill Hayes, who played Doug Williams. Williams passed away in early 2024, and the soap is airing the iconic actor’s memorial tribute sometime in November.

As such, some fans believed they might not see a tribute show for Drake Hogestyn/John Black until later on in 2025.

Days Spoilers: Drake Hogestyn Ok’d The Show To Film A Funeral

Still, as Hogestyn had to leave the canvas due to his condition, Executive Producer Ken Corday made a judgment call to end John’s life, even though Drake was still alive.

Corday recently told Soap Opera Digest (SOD), “And I made the choice to, ‘Okay, let’s tell the story.’ He hadn’t been on [the show] in nine months. We needed a reason [for John’s absence].”

As this was a sensitive matter, Corday wanted to reach out to Drake to ensure he was okay with the storyline. Corday notes, “I wanted to make sure Drake signed off on this, and he was totally in favor of it. He trusted me.”

Corday also explained that had Drake recovered from his pancreatic cancer, there would’ve been a door open for a John Black return.

Still, John’s exit storyline was controversial amongst some cast members. Stephen Nichols (Steve Johnson) didn’t agree with it as Drake was still battling pancreatic cancer. With that said, he did okay it after he found out that Hogestyn gave his approval.

Meanwhile, Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans) stated to SOD that even though John’s death story was hard, she did keep her real-life feelings out of it, as Drake was still alive at the time of filming.

Sounds like fans need to brace themselves for not only Doug’s funeral but John’s coming a lot sooner than expected! What are your thoughts on John’s exit storyline?

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