Sami briefly returned to Salem, and she faced the ghosts of the past on Days of Our Lives. In a tearful scene, she reconnected with Marlena and the two opened up about their grief. Sami’s upset because she was rotten to John for so many years, and now it’s too late to rectify things. But the sadness is on both sides of the camera as Alison Sweeney is also heartbroken over the death of John’s portrayer, Drake Hogestyn. She recently shared her innermost feelings with her fans on social media.

A Family Farewell

On Facebook, Sweeney shared several photos and wrote, “So many feelings about today’s episode of @dayspeacock  — I know you all have been going through it too. ❤️ We all have such special memories of Drake. Filming these scenes with Dee, being in ‘John & Marlena’s townhouse’ set again, really brought it home for me.”

She continued by praising Hogestyn with, “The number one thing I think now is how lucky I was to have known Drake, worked with him, and learned from him. I am so grateful to be a part of his DAYS family. ⌛️.” One fan lovingly commented, “Beautiful tribute with true feelings. No acting needed. He was an amazing actor and person.”

Heartfelt Scenes, Real-Life Grief

The photos were of Sweeney and Hogestyn, along with other cast members over the years, including Deidre Hall (Marlena). Many fans also stated that they cried while watching the Marlena and Sami scenes. One exemplified what a lot were feeling, writing, “It was an amazing and moving episode, and we will all miss Drake always, he was a great actor and gone way too soon. May he rest in peace.”

Another fan who was supremely moved responded, “A great actor & from what everyone on DAYS said, he was the person who lifted everybody up & tried to make sure everyone would have a good day. Greeting everyone in the morning.” And one fan gave high praise with, “Nice to see Alison Sweeney come back for a very sweet tribute to her Days stepdad. I know she was unavailable for the funeral. This shows true love and support for a colleague and friend. ❤️.”