Days of our Lives star Drake Hogestyn knew his alter ego, John Black, would die, and he was “in favor” of it. When Drake died in September, it came as a shock to fans, but his cast and crew members knew of his pancreatic cancer battle the whole time.

Before actor Drake Hogestyn died following a pancreatic cancer battle, he reportedly approved of his Days of Our Lives character also dying. “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;

Days of Our Lives has had to say a painful goodbye to too many beloved actors lately — and their legendary characters. But due, in part, to the show’s advanced shooting schedule, the onscreen and offscreen farewells tend to be very far apart.

Days of Our Lives Star Drake Hogestyn was able to approve and film the way his beloved character died on the Peacock soap before he passed away on Sept. 28. In a new interview, Executive Producer Ken Corday said he needed to explain to viewers why Hogestyn’s character,

John Black's death scenes were shot when Hogestyn was alive, and co-stars spoke out about filming them. The post Here’s How Drake Hogestyn Was Involved In Planning John’s Death On Days of our Lives ap

As a result, the site noted, the soap filmed John's passing before Hogestyn himself died on Sept. 28 after battling pancreatic cancer. Corday explained: We were rolling the dice,