How ‘Young And The Restless’ Will Handle Neil Winters Storyline

Posted 10:59 am, February 8, 2019, by , Updated at 11:09AM, February 8, 2019

Kristoff St. John (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images)

On the day “The Young and the Restless” is set to air a special tribute to the late actor Kristoff St. John, officials announced Friday how they will deal with his character on the long-running soap opera.

CBS officials said the show “will forever value the legacy of Kristoff St. John in his portrayal of Neil Winters.”

“Beginning in late April, Y&R will feature a storyline that pays tribute to both Kristoff and his character,” the show’s official Twitter account announced.

St. John was found dead Sunday afternoon at a home in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles. He was 52.

A cause of death has not been released.

St. John joined the cast of “The Young and the Restless” in 1991.

His character’s love story with Drucilla Winters (played by Victoria Rowell) became a favorite among fans of the show.

Some of his co-stars have mourned his loss publicly.

Rowell remembered him on her Instagram account.

In a statement to CNN, she said, “Kristoff was a joy. He lived for the day.”

She added, “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,” she said. “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.

“I shall forever cherish our private and professional time together. Now, is a time for reflection, to mourn his departure and celebrate his brilliance, permanently imprinted on my memory.”

In a tweet Wednesday, CBS Daytime asked fans to share their memories of St. John.

“To honor Kristoff St John, help us flood our timeline with photos of him during today’s airing of @YandR_CBS,” it said. “Post your favorite photos of him, with him and for him today while you’re watching live or later on your DVR. #YR #picturesforKristoff RT to spread the word.”

The CNN Wire contributed to this report. 

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