In a clip released on Tuesday, “Days of our Lives” stars Eric Martsolf (Brady Black) and Christopher Sean (Paul Narita) sat down with “Access Hollywood” to share their fondest memories of their TV dad, the late Drake Hogestyn, who passed away on Saturday, September 28, one day shy of his 71st birthday, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
“There was a particular sequence of scenes where in which I actually looked him in the eye and said, ‘How you doing man?’ And he did that little grunt that he does and said, ‘Kid, I’m on a journey, got to do my thing,’” Martsolf recalled of the last scene he shot with Hogestyn, which aired Monday, September 9, and marked Hogestyn’s final appearance on “Days of our Lives.”
“I could tell that he was going to fight hard,” Martsolf continued. “He did not want to leave the program. He would compose himself off camera and get right in there.”
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“’Oh, not feeling too good so I’m not going to talk much.’ And I said, ‘Oh geez,’” said Sean, reflecting on the last time he spoke with Hogestyn while together on set. “The first time ever he’s not telling me a story,” Sean continued, adding, “So I start talking to him and he stops me and is like, ‘You know what? This is what’s happening to me. I’m going to be honest with you’ And he told me everything. Oh man, I just remember thinking, ‘No, no, no, no. Not him.’”
As for his relationship with Hogestyn, Sean said, “Absolutely love him. I loved him as a father on television and as a father in real life.” He added, “We would literally spend hours hanging out on set.”
In addition to Martsolf and Sean, Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans) released a statement on Hogestyn’s passing to “Access Hollywood.” The entertainment news show will also feature additional interviews with “Days of our Lives” cast members on its Tuesday, October 2 broadcast. Check local listings.
Watch the “Access Hollywood” clip featuring Martsolf and Sean below.