Days of our Lives Performer of the Week: Drake Hogestyn

Days of our Lives paid tribute to John Black (the late, great Drake Hogestyn) this past week in style. All of Hogestyn's co-stars shone playing the emotional material the show's writers entrusted them with. Yet, we were also reminded of what a sensational performer Hogestyn was, courtesy of the numerous John-centric flashbacks the show provided. Thus, Soap Central is bestowing Performer of the Week honors on the late actor.

Remembering Drake Hogestyn on Days of our Lives

One of the first flashbacks of John that we saw was his and Marlena's 1999 wedding, which was perhaps the couple's most iconic. (The first time they wed she thought he was Roman). At the funeral, John and Marlena's children — Carrie (Christie Clark), Brady (Eric Martsolf), Paul (Christopher Sean), who was subbing for Sami (Allison Sweeney), Eric (Greg Vaughan), and Belle (Martha Madison) — recreated a scene from the couple's wedding in which the children were described as flowers that comprised the family's bouquet of love.

We heard John's voice (and Hall's) from that episode as a reminder that John and Marlena embraced all their children. On-screen and off, Hogestyn was a devoted family man, as evidenced by the wedding scenes.

After the service, but before the reception, the flashbacks continued as Marlena recalled one of the last times John brought her some flowers. "I love you," he told her. The scene was short, simple, and sweet, and it spoke to the couple's enduring romance.

The celebration of John's life continued

The recollections and flashbacks continued when Marlena, Bo (Peter Reckell), Kayla (Mary Beth Evans), Patch (Stephen Nichols), Roman (Josh Taylor), and Shane (Charles Shaughnessy) gathered at the Brady Pub to honor John with additional memories.

Marlena remembered the times John had her back and saved her life. There were clips of action and adventure, including the trip down the Kern River, which climaxed with John being revealed as Roman! Seeing a clip of Hogestyn saying, "I love you, Doc!" gave us all the feels.

Later, we saw John's horrified reaction to learning Marlena was the desecrator and her demonic possession. This was during John's phase as a priest. As terrified as John may have been of a possessed Marlena, his love for her never wavered. That's the man viewers fell in love with.

No matter what storyline the DAYS writers threw at Hogestyn, he bought into the reality of the situation he was tasked with playing.

John and Marlena's love story

The show saved the most iconic John and Marlena scene for the end of an episode. John was reunited with a presumed-dead Marlena on the docks in 1991. John had been there before, but after their last reunion, he believed she'd perished for real. He reached out to touch her face to make sure she wasn't a ghost.

John didn't cry often, but in this instance, his eyes welled up. "Oh, my god, it's you," he cried out as the two embraced. For decades, Hogestyn embodied the role of a romantic leading man, a hero who put the woman he loved and their family first.

While fan favorite Hogestyn was never a Daytime Emmy darling, many feel he was overlooked in the 2018 story in which John fought Belle to make sure that the plug wasn't pulled on a comatose "Marlena" (actually, Hattie). However, Hogestyn's dramatic work in this storyline is one of his most memorable turns. He achieved the love and respect of his coworkers and legions of Days of our Lives fans.

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Bravo to the entire DAYS company for a touching and remarkable tribute to the talented Hogestyn.

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