Days of Our Lives' Peter Reckell delves into fans' grief for John Black

It felt like we were saying goodbye to an old friend this week as Days of our Lives laid John Black to rest, while honoring late actor Drake Hogestyn in a unique and beautiful way.

Bo Brady was the last character to bid farewell to John in a moving speech that had our favorite Salemites in tears, as well as fans. Peter Reckell understands what the audience has been going through over the last few days, as he acknowledges the profound effect soaps and characters can have on our lives.

Remembering Days of our Lives' John Black

John's on-screen death was necessitated by Drake Hogestyn's off-screen illness and death last year. The actor died after a battle with pancreatic cancer in September of 2024, but had not worked for months by the time this week's funeral scenes were filmed. He died shortly after Days of our Lives laid John to rest in the story, so the actors' grief while creating these scenes was as real for them as it was for the audience.

As each character took their turn at eulogizing John, we could feel their pain. From Eric and Carrie to Belle, Brady, Marlena, and Bo, they each had an impact on how we grieved a beloved character whom we'd "known" for nearly 40 years.

Soap operas are wholly unique

Reckell feels it's the nature of soaps that have fans in tears this week as they cope with both John's and Hogestyn's deaths.

"We [in the cast] understand how much these characters mean to our audience. They are just more impactful than any other kind of medium," Reckell told Soap Opera Digest. "When you have characters in your living room every day...the relationships that the audience develops with these characters are just so powerful to them."

Reckell noted that he's been watching fans express their sadness on social media, as well as their anger at how things had to play out.

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"I think people have got to realize that and not put blame on anybody, the writers or whatever, because it’s just part of grief," Reckell advised. "And talk to your friends, if it’s online or people you watch the show with, because these are really powerful and impactful circumstances that are happening. Just as if a relative of yours was passing, this is how powerful this is."

Catch all-new episodes of Days of our Lives weekdays on Peacock.

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