The Young and the Restless is saying goodbye to Kristoff St. John with some help from the late actor’s TV family.
Later this month, the soap opera will celebrate the life of St. John as well as the life of his character, Neil Winters. In the upcoming episode, the cast, including Shemar Moore, Victoria Rowell and Mishael Morgan, will gather to remember Neil, who dies unexpectedly.
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Neil’s family and friends come from near and far to pay their respects and remember their father, brother, friend and colleague. Neil’s family will learn of his passing on the April 23 episode and the storyline will be featured prominently for the remainder of the week.
On April 29, The Young and the Restless will air a special tribute episode in honor of St. John, which will include cast members like Moore, Rowell (who played Neil’s longtime love, Drucilla Winters) and Morgan sharing memories of their friend and colleague, along with memorable Neil Winters clips spanning his 27 years on the longrunning show.
St. John was found dead in his Los Angeles home in early February. Last month, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office confirmed he died because of heart disease, which was exacerbated by alcohol use. The official cause of death was listed as “hypertrophic heart disease … and effects of ethanol.” His death was officially ruled an accident.
In May, St. John was laid to rest next to the grave of his late son, Julian St. John, who died by suicide in 2014. Friends and family gathered at the Calvary Community Church in Westlake, California, where he was buried, to celebrate his life.
Moore spoke out about St. John’s life following his death.
“I’m raised an only child, but Kristoff is truly the closest thing to a brother and a brother’s love and a brother’s mentorship that I’ve ever known,” Moore, 48, told PEOPLE.
Remembering his early days on the CBS soap opera, Moore recalled St. John as a strong support system.
“He didn’t have to embrace me the way he did. When I came in and was trying to find my way and he saw how scared I was, he saw how nervous I was,” the Criminal Minds alum said. “He saw my six pack and all that, but he just saw me and he embraced me like a brother. If he hadn’t embraced me, I would have never got my sure footing in the beginning days.”
“He was the sexiest black man on television from what my aunties and grandmothers told me before I’d ever knew that I was ever going to share the stage with him on The Young and the Restless,” Moore continued.
“He opened doors for me and many. He opened doors for people who don’t even realize he opened doors, but he did,” he added. “He opened doors and he was so committed to his craft. He always wanted to be better. He wanted to touch people and he did.”
St. John’s storyline on The Young and the Restless will start on Tuesday, April 23 and the special tribute episode will air on Monday, April 29 — both on CBS.
