‘The Young And The Restless’ Star Kristoff St. John Found Dead At 52
Beloved The Young and the Restless star Kristoff St. John was found dead on Sunday. The actor was 52-years-old.
According to a TMZ report, a friend of St. John checked on him at his San Fernando Valley home and found the soap veteran’s body. When police and paramedics arrived on the scene, they pronounced the actor dead on the scene. There were no signs of foul play, and one source told TMZ that alcohol could have been a factor. However, authorities have not released a cause of death.
In 2017, St. John threatened to kill himself on the anniversary of his son Julian’s suicide. Police placed the actor under 72-hour psychiatric evaluation. Julian St. John took his own life on November 23, 2014, while receiving inpatient treatment at a mental health facility, and the actor and his ex-wife, boxer Mia St. John, sued the treatment center for negligence. The couple ultimately settled the lawsuit.
Upon hearing the terrible news about her ex-husband and father of her son, Mia took to Twitter to express her grief. In a now deleted post, she wrote, “That hospital killed our son @TheArtOfJulian. Then my husband.”
After the death of their son, Kristoff and Mia founded the El Sabor es Poder (Knowledge is Power) Foundation to help others battle mental health issues.
Last September, the Y&R actor had become engaged to Russian model Kseniya Mikhaleva, and he appeared to be happy posting pictures of them celebrating the new year together. The pair originally planned to wed in the fall of 2019.
St. John’s most recent Instagram posts came on January 21, with a three-part tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Since 1991, St. John had portrayed Neil Winters on the No. 1 rated soap opera, The Young and the Restless. He took home the Daytime Emmy Award in 1992 for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series. In addition, Kristoff received nine Daytime Emmy Award nominations for his work on the show. Throughout his career, the actor also won 10 NAACP Awards.
After his troubles in 2017, St. John took a break from Y&R, but he brought Neil back to the camera. Recently, after his engagement, the actor took another break from the show, but his character returned to the storyline as January wrapped up.
St. John began his daytime career as Adam Marshall on the NBC soap opera Generations, which was canceled in 1991. Then, he went on to originate the character of Neil Winters on Y&R.
He leaves behind his two surviving children, Paris St. John and Lola St. John. Kristoff’s loss is devastating to his fans, co-stars, and the world. May he rest in peace.