The soap opera community is mourning the loss of Drake Hogestyn, the iconic actor who played John Black on Days of Our Lives for 38 years.

Hogestyn passed away on September 28, 2024, just one day shy of his 71st birthday, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Hogestyn family shared a heartfelt statement on social media:

“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 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, Hogestyn initially pursued a baseball career, signing with the New York Yankees and playing for one of their farm teams until an injury in 1977.

His acting career took off in the early 1980s with the CBS series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Hogestyn joined Days of Our Lives in 1986 as “The Pawn” and became a fan favorite as John Black.

His on-screen pairing with Marlena Evans, played by Deidre Hall, won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Couple in 2005.

Off-screen, Hogestyn cherished his 37-year marriage to childhood sweetheart Victoria Post, with whom he shared four children: Whitney, Alexandra, Rachael, and Ben.

Shailene Woodley recently appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show, where she expressed gratitude for Kate Winslet’s guidance early in her career.

Woodley, 32, reflected on her journey, saying, “I’ve been blessed to have people, at a young age, show up in a really real, truthful, pure way.”

After rising to fame with The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars, and Big Little Lies, Woodley credited Winslet, 48, for offering valuable advice.

Barrymore asked, “Did Kate Winslet actually, was she someone who was, like, a good sounding board for you?”

Woodley replied, “Beyond. I mean, you guys, she’s so, not to overuse the word real, but she’s just real. She is who she is, and she’s not afraid to be who she is. And she’s done the hard work.”

Barrymore mentioned a quote from Winslet: “I wish I had had the gumption and confidence that I have now as a woman, as a young girl when I came out in Titanic and, particularly men, commented on my body shape and size and how I would not have allowed that at all and I would have shut it down right there and then.”

Woodley shared, “But you know what’s cool about that is she maybe didn’t do that for herself but she did do it for me. She absolutely did.”

Woodley recalled working with Winslet on Divergent and Insurgent, saying, “I was 21. I had all, you know, the influx of public life and being told ‘you should look a certain way’ or ‘you should be a certain thing’ or ‘don’t eat that’ or ‘do this’ or ‘dye your hair a different color’.”

Winslet intervened, sitting Woodley down and saying, “No, no, no, that’s not who you are. This is the truth.”

Woodley credited Winslet for shaping her identity: “She gave me that moment. And I wouldn’t— I would not be who I am today without her, singlehandedly.”

Rihanna has delighted her fans by sharing an adorable video clip of her son, showcasing his neverending energy on social media which left her fans in awe.

On September 27, the Umbrella hitmaker took to her Instagram handle and posted a cute video clip of her two-year-old son RZA, which she shares with her partner A$AP Rocky. 

In the viral video, Rihanna’s toddler could be seen playing in her bedroom and was trying to escape from his playpen, while the Diamond hitmaker was filming her son’s playful activities.

The Fenty Beauty founder captioned her post, “Being a boy mom is an Olympic sport.” 

The 36-year-old singer’s toddler was seen wearing a white and yellow pyjama. Interestingly, Rihanna cheekily added the Mission Impossible theme song in the background of the video clip. 

Several of her fans filled the comments section with their reactions.

One fan commented, “I feel like he grabbed that drink + headed back to his playpen.” 

“He is trying to escape so he can release that album his mom is hiding under the bed,” another follower wrote.

It is important to mention that Rihanna and A$AP Rocky share two sons RZA, two and Riot Rose which they welcomed on August 1, 2023. 

Meghan Markle seemingly added to King Charles’s tensions with her shocking decision about Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

A royal commentator Hugo Vickers claimed that the Duchess of Sussex wanted to keep her and Harry’s children away from the royal family to be in “control” amid the ongoing royal feud.

Harry and Meghan began their new life in Montecito, California alongside their little ones after stepping down from their royal positions in 2020.   

The royal expert told The Sun, “I think the problem for the children, as I see it, is that yes they’re probably having a very nice time being brought up in California. I’m sure it’s a lovely place to be brought up.”

He added, “But there’s going to come a point when they realise that they are actually cousins to the British Royal Family, and that they could have taken part in all the sort of things that Prince William’s children take part in.”

Hugo called out the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for talking about “family values,” but he shared that their children did not meet their grandfather, especially amid his cancer battle. 

While advising Harry to win his father’s heart, the royal author said, “It’s really up to Prince Harry to make the effort. If he wants his children to meet him [Charles], he should make the effort to bring them across.”