Deidre Hall Says Late “Days of Our Lives ”Costar Drake Hogestyn ‘Worked Right Up Until He Couldn’t’ Before Death (Exclusive)

Jeff NelsonFri, July 31, 2026 at 2:15 PM UTC

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Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn in 1991Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty -

Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn worked together on Days of Our Lives for nearly four decades

Hogestyn died of pancreatic cancer in September 2024

“He kind of took care of everybody,” Hall says of her late costar

Deidre Hall is reflecting on her final memories with her onscreen husband Drake Hogestyn.

Hall and Hogestyn’s Days of Our Lives characters, Marlena Evans and John Black, became one of the most beloved soap opera power couples of all time after they got together on the show in 1986. The actors worked together for nearly four decades before Hogestyn died of pancreatic cancer at age 70 in 2024.

Hall, 78, says Hogestyn “never discussed” his diagnosis on set.

“Obviously, we had the warning,” Hall adds of Hogestyn’s prognosis. “It was not announced, it was not made public, but we know him — we’re looking at him, we’re watching him, I’m hugging him.”

Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn in 2021Credit: Evans Vestal Ward/Peacock/Getty

Hall adds that Hogestyn talked to Days showrunner Ken Corday about his future on the show after his cancer diagnosis.

“Ken said, ‘I will do anything. What do you want?’ And Drake wanted to keep working, and so he said, ‘Then that’s what you’ll do,’” Hall says. “And they put him in turtlenecks and bulky sweaters and anything to kind of help him look fine, and he worked right up until he couldn’t.”

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Hogestyn, a father of four, died on Sept. 28, 2024; his family confirmed the news in a statement shared by the Days of Our Lives official Instagram account at the time. (His character died on the show in a storyline eight months after Hogestyn’s own death.)

“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.”

Hall — who recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of joining Days — says Hogestyn, a former baseball player, was always a collaborative partner at work

Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn on ‘Days of Our Lives’Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

“He was a ball player, which means he was a team player, and did that really well. He kind of took care of everybody and always wonderfully prepared, far better than I.”

Days of Our Lives streams exclusively on Peacock.

For more on Deidre Hall, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere now.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”