Days of Our Lives Star Drake Hogestyn 'Signed Off' on His Character's Death: 'It's Beautifully Done'

John Black will have a fitting send-off on Days of Our Lives .

The character's upcoming death scene received the stamp of approval from Drake Hogestyn , who played him from 1986 to 2024 for more than 4,200 episodes before his death on Saturday, Sept 28 at age 70 from pancreatic cancer, according to a death certificate obtained by PEOPLE. Other contributing factors to his death included vomiting, dehydration and whole body toxicity.

The soap's executive producer Ken Corday explained to Soap Opera Digest on Thursday, Nov. 7 that depicting Black's death proved challenging.

"We were rolling the dice, because it's difficult to tell a story of someone's death or a character's death while the actor is still alive — albeit [Drake] was fighting, like a tiger, a very difficult disease," Corday told the outlet, adding, "I made the choice to [say], 'Okay, let's tell the story.' He hadn't been on [the show] in nine months. We needed a reason [for John's absence]."

Before the actor's death, Corday checked in with Hogestyn about the plot twist for his thoughts.

"I wanted to make sure Drake signed off on this, and he was totally in favor of it," he recalled. "He trusted me. Had Drake, God willing, beaten this, he would've come back, and it would've been something different. But [the story] had to be told. It was extremely difficult and painful for us to tell it — for the cast, for everybody. Drake was a big part of the show. The consummate actor. Always a team player and pretty good-looking, too."

Stephen Nichols, who plays Steve, also admitted to Soap Opera Digest that filming Black's death scene was the "hardest thing I've ever done."

"I didn't at first agree with what was going on, because [Drake] was still living," he continued, adding, "[He] gave his blessing to the storyline beforehand to Ken. So if it was okay with him, then I felt that I had to do my part."

Filming Black's final moments, and funeral scene, were also challenging for Deirdre Hall , who worked closely with Hogestyn on the soap for decades, portraying Marlena. But she's incredibly proud of the end result.

"It's just beautifully done. You're going to see a whole career of flashbacks that will take you back to [John and Marlena's] first handshake at Shenanigans, when he first rescued her, the pier scene," she hints. "It will go through all the years. There's a lot of history and a lot of heart."

Hogestyn's family first announced his death in a statement shared by Days of Our Lives on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday, Sept. 28. "It's with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Drake Hogestyn," the statement read. "He was thrown the curve ball of his life when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but he faced the challenge with incredible strength and determination. After putting up an unbelievable fight, he passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones."

Corday told PEOPLE in a statement on Sunday, Sept. 29, that Hogestyn's death was "very difficult" for everyone involved with the soap.

"Hogey was the ultimate team player and there are not sufficient words to express how deeply he will be missed," he said. "His impact on the show, personally and professionally, was profound and will forever remain unmatched."

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Days of Our Lives can be streamed on Peacock.