Days of our lives star Drake Hogestyn was remembered by fellow drama actors on Saturday as an “incredible man” who “cared about every scene.”

Hogestyn, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 70, was described as a “wonderful and kind man” whose dedication to DOOL was just as important as his fans. Hogestyn, who first played the beloved John Black connected the NBC sudser in 1986 and continued after it moved from NBC to Peacock.

He and Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans) were one of the daytime drama’s supercouples, keeping fans coming back day after day to DOOL. As his family said in a statement Saturday, “He loved performing for the Days audience and sharing the stage with the best cast, crew and production team in the business.”

Among those paying tribute on Saturday DOOL cast as Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady), his former DOOL castmate who remembers the “passion” he had for “everyone on set.”