‘The Young and the Restless’ Honored Kristoff St. John’s Memory With Beautiful Tribute Episode
The Young and the Restless is, without a doubt, the number one daytime drama soap. The show set in the fictional Genoa City has featured the lives of various characters and families throughout its entirety. One of the famous characters on the show was Neil Winters, played by Kristoff St. John.
St. John died in 2019, but his legacy still lives on through his work on the beloved show. The Young and the Restless is set to honor the fallen actor’s memory with a beautiful tear-jerking episode. Find out more.
St. John had an impressive career before his death
Many people might know St. John from his performance as Neil Winters, but he had had a long-standing impressive career long before appearing on The Young and The Restless. St. John started his acting career at the ripe age of 10. He appeared in That’s My Mama, Big John, Little John and followed those up with a TV career in Charlie & Co., Family Matters, and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper.
The Young and the Restless wasn’t the only soap opera St. John has appeared in. The talented star also appeared in Generations playing Adam Marshall. The role in Generations set St. John up for a flourishing career on The Young and the Restless. St. John first joined cast members of YR in 1991. The producers introduced him to viewers as the self-assured and charismatic executive at Jabot Cosmetics.
The star appeared on the show from then until his untimely demise in February 2019, which marked 28 straight years on the show. St. John’s time on YR as Neil made him the longest-serving Black character on The Young and the Restless to this day. At the time of his death, the soap star was worth a cool $4 million, as reported by Celebrity Net Worth.
His role on ‘The Young and The Restless’
Neil’s story arc involved his long-standing relationship with Drucilla Barber Winters, played by Victoria Rowell. The couple’s marriages and connection gave fans many classical episodes and helped expand the Winters’ family storyline.
Although St. John had appeared in various other shows, he captured many people’s attention with his performance as the charming Neil. His portrayal of the character earned him eight NAACP Image Awards and two Daytime Emmy awards, including eleven nominations.
His performance as Neil and his fellow Winters family members often receives critical praise for being one of the few dominant representations of Black families in any soap operas. White characters have for a long time taken up the genre, and the Winters were a breath of fresh air on an otherwise white field.
St. John tragically died in 2019, with experts terming his death accidental listing hypertrophic heart failure as the cause. The talented star had been having a hard time dealing with his son’s death. Julian St. John died by suicide after struggling with mental health for a long time.
‘The Young and the Restless’ honors St. John in an emotional way
The show that made St. John a household name is set to air an emotional tribute episode to honor St. John’s memory. According to People, the episode is featued the star’s TV family, including his TV children, Lily, Devon, and Moses.
The children took a walking tour around Genoa City featuring sounds and sights from their father’s past. The episode featured flashbacks from the star’s 28-year run on the show. Neil’s friends and colleagues Nikki, Nick and Victor Newman, Jack and Ashley Abbott, and Nate Hastings also participated in the walking tour.
Fans were thrilled with the episode honoring the beloved actor and were impressed with the production, with many fans remarking the episode’s soundtrack was well done.
