The Young And The Restless Stars Honor Kristoff St. John On The Fourth Anniversary Of His Death

Of all the characters who have come and gone from Genoa City on "The Young and the Restless," there are some who have really made a mark on both the cast and its audience. Among them was Kristoff St. John, the actor who played Neil Winters on the show for over 25 years.

This made it all the more difficult to process when St. John's time on the show was cut short following his tragic death from hypertrophic heart disease in February 2019 (via Deadline). The passing of St. John, who won two Emmys for his role on "The Young and the Restless," sent shockwaves throughout the entire soap community.

"Kristoff was a joy," St. John's former co-star Victoria Rowell said in a statement following his death (via Entertainment Weekly). "He lived for the day. He loved working in film, prime time and starring on 'The Young and the Restless'. He cared about preserving the African American legacy on the show and not being pigeon-holed into a Black storyline. Obviously, we coveted the Black family on Y&R, but we also coveted that we were crossovers. Proud we pulled in a huge audience, and a huge Black, female audience. We understood the gravity of what we were responsible for and he took that very seriously."

St. John's character, Neil Winters, was killed off on the show following his death. "The Young and the Restless" later honored St. John's memory with an emotional tribute episode, featuring clips from St. John's tenure on the show (via Cheat Sheet).

Although it's been four years since Kristoff St. John's death, that doesn't mean he's any further from the memories of his friends and loved ones. Several of his "Young and the Restless" co-stars recently took to social media to pay tribute to the late soap star on the anniversary of his death.

"Kristoff St. John loved his family so much. He was a charming, kind, eloquent man, besides being a great artist. There are no words for the sadness and missed opportunity to help him. I wish I could have. RIP dear angel," co-star Catherine Bach tweeted.

Jessica Walton, another co-star, shared similar sentiments, writing on Instagram, "What a special man he was! Loving, kind, funny, talented, and a great friend. I still can't believe you're gone Kristoff. You will live forever in my heart," alongside a picture of her and St. John.

Daniel Goddard also posted a sweet picture of the two on Instagram, adding the caption, "Still can't believe you're gone. RIP my brother #4Years #SayHisName #KristoffStJohn." 

Other stars who posted tributes include Kate Linder on Instagram, Holly Robinson Peete on Twitter, and "General Hospital" star Jon Lindstrom on Twitter. The "Young and the Restless" star's former partner, boxer Mia St.John, also paid tribute to him, tweeting, "On this day in 2019 we lost this beautiful soul ... Coincidentally today I had to empty his storage unit. It was painful & beautiful remembering what an amazing man he was."

Although St. John is gone, his legacy lives on.