Joey’s Drake Ramoray in Friends was named after late Days Of Our Lives star Drake Hogestyn

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Such was the legacy of Drake Hogestyn that he was thought to have inspired Matt LeBlanc’s Days Of Our Lives parody character in Friends.

Hogestyn, who played John Black in Daves Of Our Lives for nearly 40 years, died Saturday (September 28) following an “unbelievable fight” withpancreatic cancer.

It was long thought that Hogestyn’s first name was the inspiration for Joey Tribbiani’s (LeBlanc) Doctor Drake Ramoray in Friends.

One of the running jokes in Friends was struggling actor Joey’s recurring role in Days Of Our Lives, which saw his character go through a number of absurd plot lines in a mock version of the show before eventually being stabbed to death by a nurse.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane for confirmation.

While Hogestyn never commented publicly on the shared name, his castmate Alison Sweeney – who played Sami Brady in the soap – told CinemaBlend in February that she and her co-stars would “would watch every week that Joey was on Days of Our Lives.”

“It was such a fun ongoing story to watch on Friends, and it made us laugh. It just had such a sense of humor about what we do, and we just loved it,” said Sweeney.

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Hogestyn’s death was announced in a statement shared by his family via the official Days Of Our Lives Instagram account. It said: “It’s with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Drake Hogestyn. He was thrown the curve ball of his life when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but he faced the challenge with incredible strength and determination.

“After putting up an unbelievable fight, he passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones.

“He was the most amazing husband, father, papa and actor. He loved performing for the Days audience and sharing the stage with the greatest cast, crew and production team in the business.

“We love him and we will miss him all the Days Of Our Lives.”

In a subsequent Instagram tribute post, Sweeney hailed Hogestyn as an “incredible man.”

She captioned a photo of the pair hugging: “He was funny, generous and thoughtful. He cared about every single scene, every person.

“He loved Days, the fans, and shared that passion with everyone on set.

“My heart breaks for his family, they meant everything to him. He was such a huge part of my life at Days.

“I will miss him terribly and treasure every story, every joke & every hug.”