In the ever-changing tides of daytime television, Deidre Hall has been a constant—steadfast, elegant, and beloved as Dr. Marlena Evans for nearly five decades. But even icons lean on others, and for Hall, two men served as her emotional and professional anchors. Now, she speaks publicly for the first time about the devastating loss of Drake Hogestyn and Wayne Northrop, her long-time co-stars and friends, who both passed within months of each other.

“It was a terrible loss,” Hall told hosts Greg Rikaart and Rebecca Budig on the new CBS podcast Soapy. “Two men so full of life, of excitement, of joyous families—and to lose them both like that, ridiculous.”

For fans, John Black and Roman Brady were legends. But for Deidre Hall, Drake and Wayne were more than characters—they were her safety net. Especially Drake. “I call it working without a net. I would go out there with Drake and just think, you got me. I got you. Okay, fine,” she shared. That unspoken trust shaped years of storytelling, chemistry, and iconic scenes between Marlena and John that defined an era of Days of Our Lives.

Their bond wasn’t just professional. It was built over thousands of pages of dialogue, endless hours on set, and the quiet understanding of two actors who knew exactly how to protect each other through the chaos of soap production. “He did his 100 percent best job always,” Hall said, her voice thick with memory. “And he was just… my favorite person there.”

Losing Drake was especially surreal. He died on September 28, 2024, after a battle with pancreatic cancer, just one day before what would have been his 71st birthday. “I was really upset when I heard he had passed,” Hall admitted. “But again, I don’t feel like that’s even set in for me, really. I hadn’t seen him in a while… so part of me keeps thinking, he’s still just… somewhere else.”

Wayne’s death was no easier. While the two hadn’t seen each other for about a year before his passing, Hall remembered the way he helped her handle the relentless demands of daytime drama in her early years. “Wayne used to say, whatever happens, ‘when I leave here, NBC will be in my rearview mirror. We got it! It’s there! It’s in the can. We get to go home now,’” she recalled. That mindset—learning to let go after the cameras stopped rolling—was something that shaped her entire approach to the pressure-cooker world of soaps.

Together, Drake and Wayne were not just colleagues. They were part of Hall’s found family—a rare thing in the entertainment world. And losing them both in rapid succession left her emotionally raw.

The grief extended beyond words. In Drake’s honor, the cast of Days of Our Lives banded together to organize a walk to raise awareness and funds for PanCAN—the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. The effort raised a significant amount and served not just as a fundraiser, but as a family gathering—one last act of unity for the man who had always shown up for them, both on and off camera.

Deidre Hall’s reflections are more than celebrity remembrance—they’re a glimpse into the human heartbeat behind one of television’s most legendary runs. As she continues her work on Days, the absence of her leading men lingers behind the scenes. But so do their lessons, their jokes, their voices.

In a genre built on fictional farewells, Hall now faces two that are heartbreakingly real.

And yet, her words are steady. Soft, but certain. Full of gratitude. Full of loss. Full of legacy.

Because in the end, that’s what Days of Our Lives has always been about: time, memory, and the people who make those days matter.

Which on-screen memory of Marlena and John will forever stay with you?