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It wasn’t easy for Days of Our Lives to make the decision to send John off and let him die offscreen. By the time his death and funeral were filmed, Drake Hogestyn had become too sick from fighting pancreatic cancer to film anymore.

He was still fighting with every ounce of his being, but the folks at Days of Our Lives decided to explain his lengthy absence with John’s death — with the caveat (and the hope) that he’d return from the dead some day if Hogestyn beat the cancer.

When Access Hollywood visited the show for its 59th anniversary celebration, they spoke with a few folks about saying goodbye to John, and executive producer Ken Corday made it clear that there would always be a way back.

“We left the door open in case Drake had rallied and beat it and wanted to come back,” he confirmed. “I was in contact with Drake through his entire illness and it was done with his approval.”

Sadly, despite putting up an amazing fight, in the end, the cancer claimed Hogestyn. And the funeral to come will be the final farewell.

Though we aren’t sure yet just how soon it’s coming up, the show’s already begun putting the pieces in place for John’s farewell. Just this past Friday, Marlena got news on her anniversary that Shane was sending him off on an ISA assignment that, we’re going to guess, will be far more dangerous than anyone expected.

And if that is how John’s going to go, we can’t think of a better way. He came onto the show as a super spy and he’ll leave it being a hero. But getting through those farewell episodes weren’t any easier than if Hogestyn had died, Stephen Nichols (Steve) tells Access Hollywood.

“Every day coming to work was just difficult,” he admits sadly. But, he added, “I do believe that the way the story was told that the fans will be very happy.”

“It was just whisper quiet around here,” Mary Beth Evans (Kayla) recalls. “We were all suffering.” But there was also some joy as well, and fans will get the sendoff they need and Hogestyn and John deserve. “There was a lot of flashbacks of him — I mean really honored him, which is really beautiful.”

Check out the behind the scenes video below.

The emotions, we’re sure, were all too real in filming his funeral. How could they not be? But neither John, nor Hogestyn will ever be forgotten. By us or the cast. For Nichols, especially, it’s been difficult, especially as he and his friend were dressing room “neighbors,” right next to each other.

“I walk by his door every day and see his name on the door,” Nichols shares. “They left his name on. And I think it should be a shrine to him.”