‘Young and the Restless’ Star Kristoff St. John’s Wife Pays Tribute to Him 1 Year After His Death

Kristoff St. John’s ex-wife, Mia St. John, paid tribute to the late Young and the Restless actor on the one-year anniversary of his death. On Sunday, Mia took to Instagram to share an emotional message honoring both her late ex-husband and their son, Julian, who died by suicide in 2014.

“I’ve died twice in my life already,” Mia wrote alongside a collage of photos of St. John and Julian. “The day my son passed and the day [Super Bowl Sunday] last year when his father passed [broken heart emoji.”

“2020 will be my rebirth,” she promised. “For them and all the others that continue to suffer [mental illness] [addiction] [depression] [anxiety] [PTSD awareness].”

Her post was met with messages of supports from her followers.

“Sending love and strength in your season of rebirth,” wrote one person.

“Thank you for being a strong voice,” added another. “Cant believe it has been a year.”

“Death is a sad part of Life that unfortunately all of us must face but Mia St. John I hope and pray that you will continue to be a beacon of Light and Love for people who are suffering in this world,” commented a third.

St. John, a two-time Emmy Award winner who portrayed Neil Winters on the CBS soap from 1991 until his death, a near 28-year tenure, passed away Feb. 3, 2018 from hypertrophic heart disease by way of alcohol abuse. He was 52.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight after his passing, Mia had opened up about the actor’s struggles following the death of their son.

“When Julian passed, he died of a broken heart,” she said. “These mental health issues are real. Kristoff suffered from bipolar, our son had schizophrenia and I just felt like it was so hard for people to pay attention.”

Recalling their last conversation, she said that St. John had claimed to see their son.

“He said, ‘Julian is at the door I gotta get the door,’” she said. “[He] said, ‘OK, let’s talk to Julian, bring Julian in.’ Julian came in and he said, “‘Julian is gonna take me for a walk now’ and I said, ‘No, you aren’t going for a walk now.’”

“That was the only thing. When he told me that Julian came to the door and I knew that my son came and took him home. And that was my only comfort,” she added.

St. John was laid to rest at the Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California beside Julian. Following his death, The Young and the Restless aired a special episode as part as part of a multi-episode story, with Victoria Rowell, Bryton James, Christel Khalil, Michael Morgan, and Daniel Goddard appearing in the special to discuss his life and work.