‘The Young And The Restless’ Stars Celebrate Kristoff St. John’s Life
The Young and the Restless family had a difficult start to this week as they laid one of their own to rest in Kristoff St. John. Since the 52-year-old actor’s untimely death on February 3, the cast and crew at CBS Daytime have struggled to come to terms with losing their friend and co-star.
Two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner St. John originated the role of Neil Winters in 1991, and he portrayed the stereotype-breaking character until his death. The Inquisitr reported that yesterday, family and friends laid the actor to rest next to his son Julian St. John who died from suicide in November 2014. Today, some of St. John’s co-stars took to social media to share messages of hope amidst their sorrow after the memorial service.
Bryton James, who portrayed Neil’s son Devon Hamilton, expressed that he was lucky to share so many moments of St. John’s life with him throughout the years. He also gave credit to his Y&R family for how they pulled together as they remembered someone who had meant so much to them as well as to the number one CBS Daytime show and its fans. In the background of James’s image, large screens displayed St. John’s smiling picture as mourners filled the room to remember the actor.
Fans commented with condolences and heartache of their own.
One expressed it beautifully writing, “He will be missed by me and all his Y&R fans. I’ve been one since day one. I just can’t imagine how all of you will miss him seeing him every day and his beautiful smile that radiated through the TV. My heart is [broken heart emoji]. I feel blessed to have had him in my living room for as long as I did. Thoughts and prayers for the Y&R family and for his family. Hold on tight to Julian Kristoff. Your pain is gone. Be an Angel for your daughters.”
Another of St. John’s co-stars, Daniel Goddard, who portrays Neil’s son-in-law Cane, shared an uplifting photo of himself with c0-stars Joshua Morrow (Nick Newman), and James outside with beautiful floral arrangements in the background.
In the image, all three men are smiling through their pain as they celebrated the life that St. John lived and the support that they received from devoted Y&R viewers.
Thank you to all the fans, friends & family that attended @kristoffstjohn1’s funeral ????Your love & support is deeply appreciated. I will miss my boys for the rest of my days on earth, but we must continue to fight in their honor & all that are still suffering??#MentalHealth pic.twitter.com/AQTtA8HoY7
— Mia St. John (@MiaStJohnBoxer) March 5, 2019
St. John left behind his daughter Paris with ex-wife Mia St. John and his daughter Lola with ex-wife Allana Nadal. Also, St. John was engaged to Russian model Kseniya Mikhalev, whom he planned to marry in the fall of 2019. Mikhalev issued a statement yesterday that explained she was unable to attend the memorial because authorities turned down her request for an emergency visa.
Shortly after St. John’s death, Y&R announced an upcoming storyline in late April to honor the actor and his character Neil Winters.
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.