Drake Hogestyn's Days of our Lives sons honor their on-screen dad

Days of our Lives icon Drake Hogestyn's tragic death on September 28, 2024, has brought an outpouring of love from the soap world. The actor's friends and co-stars have shared their favorite memories of Hogestyn, including his on-screen sons, Eric Martsolf and Christopher Sean.

Drake Hogestyn's final Days of our Lives scenes

In an Access Hollywood interview that aired on October 1, Martsolf and Sean got emotional as they spoke about the late actor and how much they adored working with him through the years.

Earlier this week, fans learned that Hogestyn's last scenes as John Black had already aired on September 9. The scenes featured John Black giving girlfriend advice to his grandson Tate, as well as an emotional moment with Martsolf's Brady, who had just been released from jail.

"I didn't know that it was going to be his last scene," Martsolf said. "Nobody knew. In retrospect, it's an honor."

Hogestyn's last days on set

Sean revealed how he learned that Hogestyn was sick. The actor had been suffering from pancreatic cancer but was also still working and bringing John Black to life.

"I absolutely loved him," Sean said. "I loved him as a father on television and as a father in real life. We would literally spend hours hanging out on set."

Sean had to choke back tears as he explained how Hogestyn broke the news of his illness.

"The last time I saw him, I'd come to his room and I said 'Hey, how's everything going?' and he said, 'I'm not feeling too good, so I'm not going to talk much,'" Sean continued. "First time ever that he's not telling me a story. So, I start talking and he stops me and he says, 'You know what? This is what's happening to me. I'm going to be honest with you.' So, he told me everything...After we finished filming I didn't want to leave his side, kept following him around, but he whispered in my ear."

At that point in the interview, Martsolf joined in as he and Sean both said together, "Keep swingin' for the fences, kid."

The phrase was one that Hogestyn, a former professional baseball player, said frequently.

Martsolf admitted that he was heartened by the overwhelming outpouring of love for Hogestyn since his passing.

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"He didn't want to be a burden, just tough as nails," he said. "It's just so beautiful to see the amount of people coming out of the woodwork who just loved this guy. He was my TV dad and I will miss him horribly just like the rest of the world will."

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

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