Days Of Our Lives
DAYS OF OUR LIVES: John Black’s Funeral Part Two: Heartbreaking Eulogies and Bo Learns of His Beloved Friend’s Death
On the Tuesday, June 10th episode of Days of our Lives, it was the part two of three episodes devoted to the funeral of John Black in tribute to his iconic portrayer the late Drake Hogestyn. Major kudos goes to the writers who throughout the funeral sprinkled in not only the history of John, but mixed within it important nuggets in Drake’s life as well.
As anyone watching could tell, this was a story that blurs the lines between reality and scripted drama, as the emotion, sadness, and heartache on the faces of the characters were also what the actors were feeling in that moment to honor their fallen castmate and beloved friend. Drake died back on September 28, 2024 from pancreatic cancer, while John Black succumbed to injuries sustained saving a drug to bring Bo (Peter Reckell) back to life and took his final breath on the June 2, 2025 episode of DAYS.
When part two begins, Rachel (Alice Halsey) is in tears saying she is not able to say goodbye to Grandpa John. Marlena (Deidre Hall) gives Rachel, one of John’s favorite possessions, a Mickey Mantle baseball card. That way, anytime she starts to miss him, she has something to remember him by. When nothing stops Rachel from crying, it’s decided she should go home so Tate (Leo Howard) and Arianne (Marissa Reyes) step up to drive her there, so Brady (Eric Martsolf) can stay and mourn his father.
Photo: JPI
Watching the funeral from the eyes of Brady was gut-wrenching (Eric Martsolf showed us why he can do so much without even uttering a single word) as he eventually joins Marlena, Belle (Martha Madison) and Carrie (Christie Clark) in the front row as Eric (Greg Vaughan) begins to officiate the memorial service. To begin, Eric says a prayer stating that John is going to his eternal home, and will be welcomed by Shawn and Caroline, and all those who loved him.
Photo: JPI
Next, Brady gets up to the lectern and sings “Amazing Grace,” which brings tears to all the attendees. That moment is followed by the trio of Abe (James Reynolds), Steve (Stephen Nichols) and Shane (Charles Shaughnessy) who all represented a different phase of John’s professional lifetime of work. Seeing the three men together made viewers reach for the hankies. However it was Steve, who struggled the most to speak, noting how fitting that in John’s final act of courage he saved the life of a man he considered his brother. Abe shared that if you were in John’s circle you never left. Shane recalls him as a loyal friend and true hero. Marlena has tears streaming down her face as does Belle.
Photo: JPI
Meanwhile, Bo has arranged for a picnic with Hope (Kristian Alfonso), while he is still in a wheelchair. She asks how he managed to pull this off. He says he had help from Ciara (Victoria Konefal) and Shawn (Brandon Beemer). Bo notices something is wrong with Hope. She finally admits that John died and the funeral is going on today. Bo is beside himself and wants to be there. Later, when speaking to the doctor, she thinks it’s too soon for him to do that as it could put impede his recovery. Bo is determined to make it to the funeral.
Photo: JPI
Back at the memorial, now at the lectern are Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) and Roman (Josh Taylor) representing the Brady family. Roman recalls when for years everybody including John thought he was the real Roman Brady. Through that time, Roman will always be thankful to John for helping raise his children and being there for Marlena and his family. In a heartbreaking moment, Kayla shares that while not a brother by blood, John became a brother by heart. She tells the backstory of how the late Caroline Brady welcomed John in to the Brady family, even after they all learned he was not Roman and that John named his son, Brady, after the clan.
Photo: JPI
When it was Belle’s turn, she spoke of her father as someone who had a very humorous side, and was always present when she just needed advice or a shoulder to cry or a laugh. Belle says she will try not to cry all throughout today, but will also find time to laugh because that’s how her dad would want it.
Photo: JPI
As the episode came to its conclusion, it was Paul’s eulogy for his father, played beautifully by Christopher Sean, that if you were weren’t in a puddle of tears yet, had you reaching for the hankies. If DAYS fans recall, when we first met Paul, he was a professional baseball player (just like Drake Hogestyn was in real life). At the lectern, Paul spoke of their father and son bond over baseball, and how John had mad skills on the field so that he wouldn’t be surprised if he were a professional ballplayer in a past life.
Photo: JPI
As tears stream down his face, Paul wishes he could have spent more time with his dad. Paul detailed he missed growing up with John as his father as the two met later in life. Paul wishes that John could be at his upcoming wedding to Andrew. Paul says that in the short time they had together on earth, John made him feel loved and accepted. Paul looks at John’s (Drake’s) portrait and says through his tears “I love you, Dad. I can’t wait to play another game of baseball with you again.” And with that, the episode came to end with “to be continued” across the screen.
Photo: JPI
In the annals of soap opera, this was probably one of the saddest, most poignant and touching funerals we have ever seen – not only because of the iconic hero that was John Black – but also because of watching the actors grieve the loss of a man they loved so much that was taken from us way too soon.
So, did you reach for the hankies many times over during part two of John’s memorial? What moment got to use the most? Paul’s eulogy? Brady singing “Amazing Grace?” Abe/Steve/Shane taking to the lectern? Kayla and Roman? Belle’s remembrance? Bo finding out about John, or something else? Let us know via the comment section below.
Paul’s hands down followed by Bo’s for obvious reason reasons
Everyone’s tears and bloodshot eyes were real …. including mine after watching DOL for 60 years. I felt like I was attending a family funeral. Kudos to the writers.
If you have ever tuned-in to the soap opera genre over the last 50 years, and witnessed some of the greatest romances, drama, classic and outlandish storylines of all-time, you would have seen Deidre Hall smack dab in the middle of it as longtime Salem heroine, Dr. Marlena Evans.
It was 50 years on this date, June 21, 1976 that Hall first appeared on DAYS on NBC which was its home for 57 years before it moved to its current streaming platform on Peacock in September of 2022.
In Hall’s first episode she was introduced as a psychiatrist treating Mickey Horton (John Clarke) at Bayview Sanitarium after he suffered a complete mental breakdown. Mickey learned that his brother Bill Horton (Edward Mallory) was the biological son of Mike Horton (Wesley Eure) with his wife Laura (Susan Flannery) and that he had been lied to for years and years. From that moment on, the rest is television and soap opera history. Days of Our Lives put Hall front and center.
Photo: NBC
There were so many heartbreaking and shocking story twists involving the beloved Marlena. One of the first was the historic crib death of baby DJ (Don Jr.) in 1980, Marlena’s infant son with Don Craig (Jed Allan). The story had never been told on daytime television and Hall’s performances received accolades from TV critics to fans when Deidre received thousands of letters from grieving mothers who had gone through the same thing in their own lives.
DAYS also brought Deidre’s twin sister, Andrea Hall Lovell to the show as her on-screen sister Samantha, who had a grudge and even locked Marlena up in a sanitarium and took her place! Fast-forward and in 1982, DAYS launched the Salem Strangler story where everyone believed Marlena was his next victim, only it turned out to be Samatha. Jake Kositchek (played by Jack Coleman) was revealed to be the actual serial killer.
Later, Deidre would assume the role of Marlena’s look-alike, Hattie Adams in 2004, once played by her sister, Andrea. Over the years, Hattie has come back to Salem and caused trouble giving Hall a chance to play a different type of character, then the always upstanding Marlena.
Photo: JPI
THE LOVES OF MARLENA
Deidre Hall struck gold with all her leading men: from the late Jed Allan, to Wayne Northrop as Roman Brady, and of course, her enduring love story with the late John Black played by the iconic Drake Hogestyn. In fact, Marlena’s 1986 wedding to John (who was believed to be Roman at the time) remains a favorite of fans to this day.
TOP MARLENA STORYLINES OF ALL-TIME
While the list is long, here are several that were some of the memorable during Deidre’s five decades in Salem!
The Possession (1994- 1995)
Considered one of the most ambiguous, outlandish and unforgettable story arcs in soap opera history, then Days of Our Lives head writer, James Reilly went there! Marlena was possessed by the devil! That included; the demonic eyes, hissing at father John (Black) the priest, morphing into creatures, and the classic levitating in her bed! It became a cultural phenomenon and cemented Deidre Hall’s status as a daytime television legend. Just ask Ryan Gosling!
Photo:JPI
The Affair with John Black (1993)
John and Marlena’s forbidden love could not be denied and they had passionate affair, while she was still married to the real Roman. Problem was her daughter, Sami (Alison Sweeney) caught her mother having sex with John on a desk that changed Sami forever.
The Salem Stalker Mystery (2003-2004)
In a shocker, Marlena was revealed to be a serial killer who bumped off several Salem favorites residents who were all alive on the island of Melaswen (spelled “New Salem” backward). Turns out, she was manipulated and gaslighted by Andre DiMera (Thaao Penghlis) to do the “killings” and had no memory of her actions.
The Pier Scene (1991)
This remains Michael Fairman TV’s all-time favorite Deidre Hall moment, which featured some of the best acting in the storied careers of both Hall and Drake Hogestyn.
In the story, a presumed-dead Marlena returns after four years. One foggy night on the pier, John is alone, and Marlena steps out of the fog to reveal herself, and is reunited with the love of her life. You can watch it any year, any decade, and in any moment, and it will have you reaching for the hankies again and again. (best music score fo a soap scene of all-time too!)
Photo: NBC
Kristen’s Secret Room Reveal (1997)
Marlena was caught in Kristen Blake’s (Eileen Davidson) elaborate web of lies, when she was held hostage in a secret wine cellar/room until John managed to track her down, leading to an iconic on-screen reunion. The classic catfight between Hall and Eileen Davidson was one for the ages.
It should be noted that Maison Blanche, Queen of the Night, Possession, Aremid and Lady in a Cage were all a part of classic DAYS storyline and all featured Hall at the epicenter of it from 1993-1996.
THE RECENT YEARS OF MARLENA
In recent years, DAYS brought back the possession 2.0 storyline under then head writer Ron Carlivati in 2021 where the devil leapt back in Marlena after taking advantage of a frail Doug Williams (the late Bill Hayes)
In 2025, viewers watched the end of the love story of John and Marlena, as John succumbed to injuries sustained in an explosion saving a vial of medication needed to bring Bo (Peter Reckell) back to life. Marlena has been a widow on-screen since June of 2025 as Hall as portrayed the good doctor struggling with her grief and to move on with her life since his death.
Photo: JPI
One story that never goes away is Stefano DiMera’s (the late Joe Mascolo) obsession with Marlena, his “Queen of the Night.” Even in death, Stefano is toying with her from the great beyond with the mysterious chess set and the missing “pawn,” that he had gifted John and Marlena in his will. The mystery is currently unfolding on all-new episodes of Days of Our Lives.
Tune-in to Days of our Lives on the Monday, June 22 episode as Marlena looks back at her 50 years in Salem.
Share your congratulations to Deidre Hall for this incredible 50-year milestone as Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives in the comment section. Then let us know, what is your all-time favorite storyline or moment in the life of Marlena over the past 5 decades? And, just for kicks, and to celebrate this amazing milestone, here is Marlena levitating below circa Christmas Eve 1994.
Days Of Our Lives
Al Calderon Reflects on ‘Major Chapters’ Coming to an End on ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘Brilliant Minds’
It’s been a bittersweet time for Al Calderon. The talented actor/singer/songwriter has watched from his vantage point to roles he loved so much come to their conclusion for different reasons.
In a heartfelt message posted to his Instagram story on Saturday, Calderon took a moment to share how grateful he was for the opportunity to play Javi Hernandez on Days of Our Lives, and nurse Nico Silva this year on NBC’s second season of Brilliant Minds. Currently, Brilliant Minds has two more episodes that will air on June 24 and the series finale on July 1.
Calderon expressed, “As I sit here reflecting on this lovely Saturday afternoon over the last two years of my life, I have two major chapters closing that have been part of my life every day for the last two years. We have Brilliant Minds. Our last episodes are wrapping up, and then my last scenes aired yesterday as me as Javi on Days of Our Lives.
Photo: JPI
“I’m just unbelievably grateful for the chance and the opportunity to be a part of something so much larger than me,” continued Al. “I (will) love Days of Our Lives forever, my family. Thank you for supporting me and supporting my decision to take the leap of faith and believe in myself and, and tell other stories. You know, it’s never goodbye. It’s always ‘see you later’ to me and just leaving with love and leading with love.”
Al concluded with a special mention to some very important people, the fans: “Thank you to the fans and the support from everyone, the lovely messages. So this next chapter, hopefully it’s not a dragon, hopefully it’s a gold coin.”
Photo: NBC
Calderon’s journey on-screen on Days of Our Lives began in October of 2024 and concluded this month. In one of his last appearances Javi was asking a favor from Gabi (Cherie Jimenez) before bumping into his ex, Leo (Greg Rikaart). In story, Javi has a new romance with Gus (Michael Ocampo), while fighting his feelings for Leo. The role of Javi will be played starting on June 30 by Jacob Martinez who takes over the role.
NBC decided to cancel the Brilliant Minds, after it split up the airing of its second season which began in the fall of September of 2025 and the back-half started airing after a long break this past May. Calderon joined the medical drama staring Zachary Quinto for the new season, which sadly was its last.
So, will you miss Al on Days of Our Lives and Brilliant Minds as his time on-screen has come to an end? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Next week, Days of Our Lives welcomes back fan favorites Colton Little (Andrew Donovan) and Christopher Sean (Paul Narita) when they reprise their roles for an upcoming special episode which contains Deidre Hall’s 50th anniversary as Marlena Evans.
Circle Monday, June 22 when the married couple comes back to Salem. Paul is the son of Marlena’s beloved and late husband, John Black (Drake Hogestyn). Andrew is the son of iconic couple Shane Donovan (Charles Shaughnessy) and Kimberly Brady (Patsy Pease).
According to the official Days of Our Lives spoilers for the week of June 22-26, Andrew scolds Cat (AnnaLynne McCord). Let’s remember Andrew is ISA. Meanwhile while Marlena thinks back on her fifty years in Salem, Paul arrives back in town.
Photo: JPI
ANDREW AND PAUL
Christopher Sean began playing Paul Narita back in 2014. He has come and gone from the show over the last decade. He was last on-screen back in November of 2025, when Paul arrived back in Salem for the dedication of the Tom Horton Free Clinic as part of the Days of Our Lives 60th anniversary celebration.
Colton Little, first began playing the all grown-up Andrew Donovan in 2022 on the Peacock limited series, Beyond Salem: Chapter 2. Little eventually moved to the mothership and Days of Our Lives in 2023. He was last seen on the soap opera back in March of this year in scenes with Peter Porte (Dimitri Von Leuschner) and Greg Rikaart (Leo Stark).
In story, Andrew and Paul tied the knot in front of family and friends on June 24, 2025, which followed the heartbreaking funeral of Paul’s father, John Black, who had passed away several weeks earlier from injuries sustained in an explosion.
Photo: JAnchondoIG
Michael Fairman TV also confirmed the romance exclusively of Colton Little with former General Hospital actor, Adrian Anchondo (ex-Marco Rios) at the end of December of 2025.
Anchondo shared at that time, “I reached out to him (Colton) when I got the job on GH. We knew of each other through mutual friends; so I knew of him for a long time. I started asking Colton about what his experience was like on soaps and asked about SAG health insurance, etc. We met up one night and were hooked from then on.”
So, are you excited to see Andrew and Paul back on your screens? Share your thoughts and if you would like to see them stay longer in Salem in the future, with a story all of their own via the comment section. But first, check out the just released promo for the action on Days of Our Lives entitled “Conspiracy” below featuring Christopher and Colton.
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