One year ago today, the soap opera world was rocked with the tragic news that beloved The Young and the Restless fan-favorite Kristoff St. John, who had played Neil Winters since 1991, had died.
Kristoff St. John: In Remembrance
St. John’s former YR leading lady, three-time Emmy-nominated actress Victoria Rowell (ex-Dru) noted the anniversary was approaching on Twitter. “Remembering #KristoffStJohn with love. July 15, 1966 – February 3, 2019,” Rowell posted.
The two-time Emmy-winner passed away of hypertrophic heart disease. The show wrote Neil’s death into the show and it was revealed that the executive died in his sleep prior to the opening of Society, Genoa City’s newest hangout.
Shemar Moore (Malcolm), Julia Pace Mitchell (Sofia), and Angell Conwell (Leslie) reprised their roles for the on-screen memorial episodes. YR also broadcast a special episode honoring St. John in which actors broke the fourth wall and shared memories of their late co-star. Rowell returned for that special program.
The Legacy of Neil
Since Neil’s passing, some of his family members have left the canvas. His grandchildren Mattie and Charlie (Lexi Stevenson and Noah Gerry Alexander) left GC for college. Son-in-law Cane (Daniel Goddard) left town to track down his father Colin (Tristan Rogers), who made off with part of Devon’s (Bryton James) fortune.
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Fortunately, Devon’s story has continued. His love life has been complicated by the arrival of Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan), a dead ringer for his (and Neil’s) late wife Hilary. Lily (Christel Khalil) left town after her father’s funeral, but she recently returned for some guest spots. Khalil is shown in the show’s latest cast photo so it’s possible there are plans for her to pop up on the soap more often.
Around the time of his passing, St. John was developing a TV pilot, Stripped, with his pal Marc Clebanoff. The series stars Casper Van Dien (ex-Ty, One Life to Live) as Chris Cameron, a TV star who needs to reclaim his former glory and makes ends meet in the meantime by, you guessed it, stripping!
Late last year, Clebanoff shared on Instagram the theory that he’s getting signals from St. John — or at least, there are some coincidences occurring.
“After #JulianStJohn passed Kristoff always talked about seeing signs from him,” Clebanoff posted. “I keep getting my bell rang at the signs I see. Every time the challenges stack up a photo shows up randomly. 2nd time this month. This one got sent to me today from a friend. A random one from circa 2012.” The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. Check local listings for air times.
Remembering #KristoffStJohn with love. July 15, 1966 – February 3, 2019 pic.twitter.com/O8SD3eWLRt
— Victoria Rowell (@victoriarowell) February 2, 2020
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