'Days of Our Lives' Producer Recalls Talking to Drake Hogestyn About His Character's Arc Before He Passed Away

justjared.com:

The executive producer of Days of Our Lives opened up about having conversations with Drake Hogestyn about his character’s story arc before the actor passed away.

The longtime soap opera star passed in September after battling pancreatic cancer. The late actor played the character John Black on the show.

Fans of the show know that Drake‘s character also passed away onscreen. Executive producer Ken Corday said that he spoke with Drake about the decision before approving it. Keep reading to find out more… “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,” he said in an interview with Soap Opera Digest. “And I made the choice to, ‘Okay, let’s tell the story.’” He continued, saying, “He and I were in contact.” “I wanted to make sure Drake signed off on this, and he was totally in favor of it.

He trusted me. Had Drake, God willing, beaten this, he would’ve come back, and it would’ve been something different.