When life imitates art.
While Drake Hogestyn was dying of pancreatic cancer last year, the “Days of Our Lives” cast and crew filmed his character John Black’s funeral as they prepared to also say goodbye to the actor himself.
Hogestyn’s family, according to Variety, agreed to executive producer Ken Corday’s plan for the actor’s on-screen send-off.
“Drake, as the consummate storyteller that he is, said, ‘Absolutely. You gotta tell the story,’” Eric Martsoff, who played Hogestyn’s son Brady, told the outlet in an interview published Monday.
“Drake knew what he was facing,” Martsoff, 53, continued. “He understood that this is a story fans would want to be told. So Drake graciously said, ‘Yes, let’s do it.’ But knowing that this man was on the planet, and we were literally taping his funeral and his death, that was hard. It was really hard.”
Black’s funeral scenes airing this week were shot over three days in September. The following weekend, Hogestyn passed away at age 70.
“There was literally zero acting going on during those three days,” Martsoff said. “Everyone was holding hands to the point where our hands were getting white.”
On the June 2 episode of the soap opera, Black was injured in a lab explosion as he tried to help Steve (Stephen Nichols) discover a drug to save Bo (Peter Reckell). He later flatlined in a hospital with his wife, Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), close by his side.
Black’s body was completely covered in gauze to sidestep the fact that the character was no longer being played by Hogestyn.
Martha Madison, who played Black’s daughter, Bella, told Variety the “Days” team felt a “responsibility” to honor the character the right way.
“The fact that we were losing Drake at the same time, it was very hard on us emotionally, as we’re losing someone we really love,” the 47-year-old actress explained. “We didn’t really have to perform. It wasn’t like we were having to dig for anything. It was just all right there.”
Madison also noted that shooting Black’s funeral scenes was the cast’s way of saying goodbye to Hogestyn.
“None of us were able to really see him or be with him towards the end. This was our opportunity to do it as a family, and do it together,” she shared.
“And I thought it was so beautifully written — all of the flashbacks and really honoring his whole 40-year career on that show,” Madison added. “It was all just very special.”
The show’s official Instagram page announced Hogestyn’s heartbreaking passing on September 28, just one day before his 71st birthday.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Drake Hogestyn,” the statement read. “He was thrown the curveball of his life when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but he faced the challenge with incredible strength and determination.”
Hogestyn joined “Days of Our Lives” in 1986. He appeared on the hit soap opera for 38 years and filmed over 4,200 episodes.