The Young and the Restless star Kristoff St. John dead at 52
The news of St. John’s death was first reported by TMZ, who notes that the death is being said to have happened due to “natural causes” and that there are no signs of foul play. He was discovered by one of his friends, who arrived at his home in order to check in on him.
While St. John appeared throughout his career on a number of iconic sitcoms including Family Matters and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, he is best known for playing the part of Neil Winters on the CBS daytime drama. While there, he was the recipient of a flurry of different acting awards and received effusive praise for his consistency and being a part of the show’s family. While there may be more job security in the soap-opera world than most (provided that your show is one of the few that withstood the test of time like The Young and the Restless), it still says something about your support base and the quality of your work that a single show would want to employ you for almost thirty years.
St. John did face tragedy throughout his life, as back in 2014 his son Julian took his own life. Kristoff and his ex-wife Mia (following that tragedy) devoted their time and money to help battle mental illness. It is an issue that does need to be a continuous part of the conversation so that everyone can better understand what can happen with a diagnosis left untreated.
The Young and the Restless typically films ahead a good chunk of episodes in comparison to where they are on CBS. There is a chance that you will see more episodes featuring the actor, and we certainly do hope that the show does find a way to properly honor both him and his character. The viewers of daytime dramas are as loyal as they come, and losing him may feel akin to losing any other loved one within their family.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to St. John’s family and all who knew him through what has to be an incredibly difficult time. (Photo: CBS.)