It has been two years since “Young and the Restless” star Kristoff St. John tragically passed away. Let’s take a look back at some of the chilling moments before his passing, as told by his ex-wife.
Many people know and love Kristoff St. John from the long-running soap opera “Young and the Restless.” The actor played the role of Neil Winters since 1991 and won ten NAACP Image Awards over his 28-year span.
St. John also earned nine Daytime Emmy Award nominations during his time on the show, cementing his talent. However, it seems that all of his accomplishments could not remove a dark cloud that hung over the actor.
Kristoff St. John onstage during the 44th NAACP Image Awards, February 2013 | Source: Getty Images
that St. John was found dead in his Los Angeles home sent a shock wave through the actor’s fans and family members. The actor’s untimely passing also became a wake-up call regarding issues around mental health.
Although many looking from the outside may have assumed that the actor had it all, it quickly became clear that he was fighting some challenging battles. Unfortunately, not many could recognize his struggle until it was too late.
However, it may have been impossible for those who are not very close to St. John to see anything wrong at all. The actor seemed just fine during one of his last TV appearances before his passing, as told by Steve Harvey.
St. John filmed a segment for Harvey’s talk show just two months before being unconscious in his home. The TV host revealed that the actor appeared to be jovial and showed no indication of a depressive state of mind while filming.
Consequently, his untimely passing was a huge shock to the “Family Feud” star who aired a tribute episode on his since canceled talk show for the actor. The episode featured two of his co-stars.
Actress Victoria Rowell reflected on St. John’s legacy and shared about the mental health struggles that plagued him. She revealed that although the actor was joyful, he suffered immensely with his grief.
The grief that Rowell touched on refers to St. John’s tragic loss of his son, Julian, four years before his passing. St. John’s ex-wife, Mia, touched on the heartbreaking loss of their son a few weeks after St. John passed away.
Mia revealed the extent of the actor’s mental health issues that were magnified by their son’s passing. She explained that St. John was bipolar and that their son, Julian, was being treated for schizophrenia when he took his life.
In another shocking revelation, Mia explained that the actor called her while drunk at 11 a.m. before he died. She revealed that St. John claimed to see his late son at his doorway during the disoriented conversation.
However, that was not the first time St. John mentioned his son before his untimely passing. The actor also tweeted about his son’s suicide two weeks before losing his life to a possible alcohol overdose.
St. John retweeted a since-deleted tweet that touched on losing a child, which explained that the grief only ends once the parent dies. He then shared a tweet of this own agreeing with his retweet, which read:
“Never a truer word was spoke. Thanks for posting this.”
Although the chilling post and the phone call were the main indicators of St. John’s mental state, it seems he tried to get help beforehand. The actor reportedly checked into a UCLA medical center for depression weeks before his passing.
True to his character in real life, St. John’s character in “Young and the Restless” portrayed himself as a doting father throughout his final episode. The episode, which aired after St. John’s passing, featured a dedication to him at the end.
St. John was only 52 when he took his last breath and was survived by his fiancée, Kseniya Mikhaleva, and two daughters from previous marriages. He was also the co-founder of the El Saber es Poder Foundation to battle mental illness.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org.
ncG1vNJzZmimlazAb63MqKSapZFjsLC5jmttcm9kaHqjscWoqZ5loJbAtLXNoGSkqpmowbCyxWaqrWWapLWvedGep6iqpJqxb7TTpqM%3D