The actor became a daytime drama icon—but battled with personal demons and heartbreak behind the scenes
For 27 years Kristoff St. John won hearts as dashing dedicated father and husband Neil Winters on The Young and The Restless. But on Feb. 4 his fans, costars and family were left reeling when news broke of the 52-year-old’s sudden death in his San Fernando Valley home of a possible alcohol overdose. (The official cause of death is pending additional test results, including a toxicology report.) “Kristoff has been paving the way,” his Y&R costar Shemar Moore said, describing the Emmy winner as the “most popular, the most iconic black man in soap opera daytime history. Kristoff is truly the closest thing to a brother and a brother’s mentorship that I’ve ever known.”
The New York City native shone early on. After his breakout performance at age 13 as young Alex Haley in the 1979 ABC miniseries Roots: The Next Generations, St. John worked consistently leading up to 1991, when he began his life-changing turn on the popular CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless in a role he continued to portray until his death.
This story is from the February 18, 2019 edition of People.
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This story is from the February 18, 2019 edition of People.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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