Scott Kirkland/ABC via Getty; Michael Tullberg/Getty Kirsten Storms reflected on the death of her TV dad,Days of Our Livesstar Drake Hogestyn, in an interview withTV Insider Storms, 41, said Hogestyn's death doesn't feel "real," adding that, "I don't feel like that's even set in for me" Hogestyn died of pancreatic cancer at 70 in September 2024 Kirsten Stormsis reflecting on working with her former TV dad, the lateDrake Hogestyn. Storms, who worked with Hogestyn onDays of Our Livesfrom 1999 to 2004, opened up about her feelings surrounding his death in September 2024 at the age of 70 in a recent interview withTV Insider. "I think because I hadn't seen him in a while, I feel like it's not real that he's gone," Storms, 41, said. "He just was my favorite person there and a legend. So happy and always in a good mood. And prepared." "He did his 100 percent best job always. I was really upset when I heard he had passed. But again, I don't feel like that's even set in for me, really," she continued. Storms noted that she got to know Hogestyn even more personally during her time on the long-running soap, as she dated his son. "I dated Drake's son, Ben [Hogestyn] for a couple of years, and I got to spend a lot of time with Drake and his family," she recalled. Jon Kopaloff/Getty Drake, who died ofpancreatic cancer, was a staple on the show, playing the character of John Black for 38 years. The PEOPLE Appis now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! "This is a very difficult one for all of us,"Days of Our Livesexecutive producer Ken Corday said in astatement to PEOPLEin 2024. "Hogey was the ultimate team player, and there are not sufficient words to express how deeply he will be missed. His impact on our show, personally and professionally, was profound and will forever remain unmatched." Jeff Katz/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty At another point in her interview withTV Insider,Storms reflected on her time onDays of Our Livesas a whole, sharing that it was her first experience working at the intense pace that soap opera roles demand. "That was a reality check for how hard actors work," she recalled. "I had come from doing single camera projects and the Disney stuff, and I was thrown into 10, 20, scenes a day — really thick script per day situation — working with people who have been doing it for years and years." Storms also specifically called out actressDeidre Hall, the soap opera veteran who played her mother on the show, for shaping her work ethic. "Deidre Hall would not take any excuses, and I loved that," she continued. "I wanted to show her I was capable of [doing the work]. It was one of the best learning experiences I could have had at 14." Storms, who marked her 20th year playing Maxine on the showGeneral Hospitalon May 23, told the outlet that leavingDays of Our Livesin 2004 was an emotional experience for her. Christine Bartolucci/Disney via Getty "When I leftDays,I had a lot of sad feelings about it, just because I had grown a family there," she said. "That was the longest time I had spent on a project, and everyone there was always so nice to me." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Prior to her work onDays of our Lives, Storms had risen to fame as a teen star playing Zenon inZenon: Girl of the 21st Century,which premiered on the Disney Channel in 1999. She reprised the role inZenon: The Zequelin 2001 andZenon: Z3in 2004. Read the original article onPeople
