For fans who wondered why The Young & the Restless didn’t give its beloved actor Kristoff St. John the homegoing episode he so deserved after he died unexpectedly, will get their wish because soap is bringing back pivotal characters to pay homage in episodes set to air this month, PEOPLE reports.
St. John who played Neil Winters on the show shocked fans when he died on Feb. 3 from a combination of heart disease and accidental alcohol overdose. In the coming episodes honoring him, his TV family will return, including Shemar Moore, Victoria Rowell and Mishael Morgan.
—Kristoff St. John, ‘Young and the Restless’ star, found dead at 52—
The episodes will play out with family and friends gathering at Neil Winter’s funeral after a sudden death. St. John has played the character since 1991. On the April 23rd episode, his family will learn of his death and for the rest of the week, the storyline will center around that.
On the April 25 and 26 episodes, Winters’ brother Malcolm, played by Moore will be featured.
Then on April 29, a special tribute episode will air with his cast members, including Victoria Rowell who played his longtime love Drucilla, will talk about their on-screen and off-screen friendship that spanned the 27 years he was on the show.
In Feb., the soap opera star was found dead at age 52. Law enforcement sources told TMZ one of Kristoff’s friends went to check on him at the actor’s home in San Fernando Valley and found his body. Police and paramedics were alerted and responded to the house. Kristoff was reportedly pronounced dead on the scene.
—Racist graffiti found on two Central Connecticut State University—
St. John earned 9 Daytime Emmy Award nominations and 10 NAACP Image Awards for his role on Y&R. St John’s acting credits also included portraying a young Alex Haley in the ABC miniseries, Roots: The Next Generation, as well as Denise Huxtable‘s boyfriend (Lisa Bonet) on The Cosby Show.
In December 2014, the daytime soap star shared some heartbreaking news about a personal tragedy revealing that his son Julian committed suicide on November 23. The actor and his ex-wife, Mia, described their son as the “light” of their lives.
Julian, a talented painter, reportedly suffered from schizophrenia and endured “severe depression.” since childhood. St. John also reportedly had a hard time coping with Julian’s death and drank heavily.