We’d be lying if we said we weren’t still in shock from the news that Days of Our Lives‘ Drake Hogestyn passed away over the weekend. He died on Saturday, just one day shy of his 71st birthday. The tributes from Hogestyn’s friends,

Drake Hogestyn — who joined 'Days of Our Lives' in 1986 — died the day before what would have been his 71st birthday.

Drake Hogestyn concluded his time as John Black on the long-running soap opera “Days of Our Lives” in a touching way. A rep for the show confirmed to People on Tuesday that Hogestyn, who tragically died from pancreatic cancer at age 70 on Saturday,

Drake Hogestyn’s final Days of Our Lives episodes have already aired — and his character left on a touching high note. The actor, who died Saturday, September 28, after battling pancreatic cancer, had previously made his last appearance as John Black on the hit ABC soap opera in an episode that aired September 9.

Many Days of Our Lives viewers have wondered when the final episode featuring Drake Hogestyn will air. They have already seen it. According to the show, Hogestyn's last appearance aired on September 9,

If you've read through the beautiful tributes that the Days of Our Lives cast has written for Drake Hogestyn - and if you haven't, you can do so here - you know that if there was one thing he was more passionate about than playing the soap's Sturm und Drang,