Matthew Ashford Reflects on His Return to ‘Days of Our Lives’ for John Black’s Funeral

It has been a sad time for both the cast and fans of “Days of Our Lives,” due to the funeral of John Black, played by the late Drake Hogestyn.

Matthew Ashford brought his character of Jack Deveraux back to Salem briefly, telling Soap Opera Digest that his return, “was somber at times.” The plot twist leading to John Black’s death was due to Drake’s inability to continue in the role that he had played for decades.

Matthew Ashford Had Been Concerned About Drake Hogestyn for a Few Years

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The actor admits that he had worried about Hogestyn for a couple of years. “He’d hurt himself and had surgery… and I was just worried. The last time we worked together, he just looked entirely different. He was all tied up, and we were rescuing him, and he really did look tied up and beaten.”

“He was always so robustly healthy that when he wasn’t healthy, it was pretty clear,” explains Ashford, who later reached out to the actor. “I said, ‘Hey, I want to come out and visit, see you and [your wife] Victoria.’ But Drake said he was busy, he had something going on,” Ashford told Soap Opera Digest.

Everyone Made the Most of the Difficult Scenes

Drake Hogestyn was ultimately diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and according to Ashford, “Drake was part of the decision to have the storyline happen,” notes Ashford. “I think it was his way of saying, ‘I want John Black to ride off into the sunset, and that it would be an honor to me to not recast him.’ So I saw it as them working with Drake, and Drake working with them and giving them his blessing to write this major story beat.”

“Still, it was a very difficult thing. His John Black will never be replaced.” Shortly after the cast filmed those tragic scenes, Hogestyn passed away in real life. “I felt like Drake spoke. He said what he wanted to say, which was, ‘I’ve always put the show first. This is what was good for the show, and that made it good for me.’ He was a good soldier and a team player all the way,” explains Ashford.

“I kind of feel like everyone made the most of it they could,” remembers Ashford. “And there were beautiful scenes, just lovely things being done by so many people who were very sincere and honest. I was watching the show [on the monitor] in the makeup room or from somewhere off stage, just watching what people were doing. When things are really good, you see it. Everybody was going through so much and just realizing this was a big chapter in the book of Days of Our Lives.”