‘The Young and the Restless’ Pays Special Tribute to Kristoff St. John

Monday’s episode of The Young and The Restless included a special tribute to late cast member Kristoff St. John as the show prepares to lay his character to rest.

Kristoff St. John passed away suddenly back in February in his home in Los Angeles, California. The actor had portrayed Neil Winters for 18 years, and his death left the whole production and the show’s fans shocked and saddened. On Monday, the show announced a special send-off for St. John on Twitter.

“Please join the [Young and The Restless] cast today for a special tribute to Kristoff St. John,” read the post.

The special brought an end to a multi-episode story arc that put Neil Winters to rest. Afterwards, some of St. John’s co-stars sat down together for a televised conversation about his life and work over the last several decades.

The tribute included Victoria Rowell, who played Neil’s wife, Drucilla Winters on the show from 1990 to 2007. She was joined by fellow cast members Bryton James, Christel Khalil, Mishael Morgan, and Daniel Goddard.

“Kristoff was like my brother,” Rowell told Entertainment Weekly before the special. “We had a fantastic brother-sister relationship. He was like a big kid. He made me laugh and he made me really think about things.”

“He was a thinker. He was honest,” she went on. “When he smiled, he had a smile from his childhood. That he was able to do it and be in so much pain, will remain an anomaly. He was a rare person. It was a real gift that [Y&R creator] Bill Bell gave me.”

Fans loved the tribute when it aired on Monday, taking to Twitter to praise the producers for putting it together.

“Not even 15 minutes in and can already say that this is incredibly put together!” one fan tweeted. “It’s so personal, almost like our beloved [Kristoff St John] is still with us. Well done #yr, well done.”

“Kristoff St John is looking down on us from heaven, He will be so darn proud, his legacy on #YR will live on in cast and crew and fans hearts forevermore,” wrote another.

St. John passed away at home on Feb. 3, 2019. He suffered from hypertrophic heart failure, and his death was ruled as an accident. The actor was 52 years old, and is survived by his daughters, Paris Nicole and Lola. St. John was also engaged to Russian model Kseniya Olegovna Mikhaleva.

The Young and The Restless airs on weekdays at 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS.