By Cole Delbyck
Black Voices
Actor Kristoff St. John, a longtime cast member of CBS’ “Young and the Restless,” was found dead at his San Fernando Valley home in California on Sunday. He was 52.
A friend discovered the soap opera star’s body and police and paramedics arrived at the residence shortly thereafter, according to TMZ. St. John was pronounced dead at the scene. A cause of death has not yet been released.
The actor’s attorney, Mark Geragos, confirmed his death to several outlets and told Entertainment Tonight a statement would be issued later on Monday.
St. John starred as Neil Winters on the popular soap opera for over 25 years, picking up two Daytime Emmys for his work, as well as 10 NAACP Image Awards over the years.
“It is with unbelievable sadness that we say goodbye to our friend,” the official Twitter account for the Daytime Emmy Awards posted on Monday.
St. John was married and divorced twice. He had a daughter and a son with famed boxer Mia St. John, his first wife, and a daughter with his second wife, Allana Nadal.
His son, Julian, died by suicide at age 24 in 2014 while at a mental health facility in Long Beach, California.
The former couple filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the treatment center, claiming ”widespread and pervasive” negligence by its staff.
Three years after his son’s death, St. John was hospitalized and placed under psychiatric hold after a mental health scare.
“No parent should ever have to bury their child, and for those who do, it is a nightmare that haunts you forever. The death of our beloved son Julian has taken a toll on both of us,” his ex-wife said in a statement at the time. “He is an actor and while he may appear whole on the outside, his heart is broken. As a society, we need to start taking mental health seriously and realize that no one is immune.”
Mia St. John, who created the El Saber es Poder (Knowledge is Power) Foundation to raise awareness about mental illness in honor of their son, reportedly reacted to the actor’s death in a since-deleted tweet.
“THAT HOSPITAL KILLED OUR SON @TheArtofJulian THEN MY HUSBAND @kristoffstjohn1,” she wrote, according to TMZ. “THATS WHAT HAPPENED! THEY KILLED MY FAMILY”
St. John planned to marry fiancée and Russian model Kseniya Mikhaleva later this year; the two announced their engagement in 2018.
Mikhaleva wrote a series of heartbreaking social media posts on Monday about the actor’s death.
“How did it happen ??? How ??? Why did you leave so early ???? and left me alone ….. I can’t believe …. you were everything to me,” she captioned a photo of the two in happier times. “You were a loving father, a loving man … we should doing a lot of things in future.”
