‘Days of Our Lives’ star Drake Hogestyn dies at 70

WASHINGTON — Drake Hogestyn, who played John Black on “Days of Our Lives” for 38 years, has died at the age of 70. 

The soap opera star died Saturday, just one day before his 71st birthday, multiple outlets confirmed. 

“Days of Our Lives” shared a statement from Hogestyn’s family on Saturday announcing his death. 

“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Drake Hogestyn. 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,” the statement said. 

The family statement continued: “He was the most amazing husband, father, papa, and actor. He loved performing for the Days audience and sharing the stage with the greatest cast, crew and production team in the business. We love him and we will miss him all the Days of our Lives.” 

Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the daytime icon first sought a career as a professional baseball player. He was drafted by the New York Yankees and spent some time with one of their minor league teams before injury ended that pursuit. He got his first big break with the CBS series “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” in the early 1980s. 

According to PEOPLE, he first joined “Days” in 1986 as a character known as “The Pawn” before becoming John Black. According to IMDB, Hogestyn appeared in nearly 4,300 episodes of the long-running daytime drama series.