‘The Young And The Restless’ Spoilers: Christel Khalil Brings Lily Back To GC For Kristoff St. John Sendoff

New The Young and the Restless spoilers reveal that Christel Khalil will bring Lily back to the canvas in late April, in a storyline honoring the late Kristoff St. John and his character, Neil Winters.

The Inquisitr recently reported that Genoa City will learn that Neil (Kristoff St. John) dies suddenly in late April. For the episodes which air on April 25 and 26, Soap Opera News details that actress Christel Khalil — who moved to recurring status last year — will bring Neil’s daughter, Lily, back to the show. Currently, Lily is serving time in prison for distracted driving, which led to Hilary’s (Mishael Morgan) death, as well as the death of Hilary and Devon’s (Bryton James) unborn child.

In addition to Khalil, Shemar Moore brings Malcolm Winters back to Genoa City for the storyline. On April 29, Victoria Rowell (ex-Drucilla Winters), Mishael Morgan, and Khalil will appear as themselves in a special tribute episode honoring St. John, his legacy, and his life. St. John originated the role of Neil Winters in 1991, and the character broke stereotypes at the time. Neil joined the show as a junior executive for Jabot Cosmetics.

St. John’s final airdate on Y&R was February 6, which came three days after his untimely death on February 3. St. John was 52. St. John passed away at his home, and the medical examiner ruled his death accidental. The Daytime Emmy Award-winning actor’s cause of death was listed as heart disease and alcohol poisoning.

When St. John passed away, Khalil took to Instagram to express her sorrow.

Alongside a beautiful picture of herself with St. John, Bryton James, and Daniel Goddard (Cane Ashby) posing behind the scenes of the CBS Daytime drama, the actress wrote, “I don’t know if I can ever fully express how my heart feels. I’m so heartbroken.” She expressed how terrible St. John’s grief was in losing his son — Julian, 24 — to suicide.

“You were one of a kind. I’ll never forget you were the first person who took me under your wing when I joined Y&R. You were the one who when I had my screen test, you helped me, made me feel connected and comfortable. I know part of the reason why I even got a role that changed my life forever is because of you,” she continued.

They shared a special relationship, and Khalil said that St. John treated her like his real daughter — even though they only portrayed a father/daughter dynamic on daytime TV.

“Between our deep conversations about religion to your goofy dad jokes, you’ve always had a special place in my heart. A place where a father should have been… I’m grateful I got to know you and share some of my most important moments of life with you.”

Khalil finished her poignant remembrance by expressing that she’ll never forget St. John, and that she loves him.

April 29’s show will feature many people remembering the man that Kristoff St. John was, and will highlight some of his most memorable moments from the show.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. For readers outside the U.S., visit Suicide.org or Befrienders Worldwide for international resources you can use to find help.