The late actor Kristoff St. John portrayed Neil Winters on The Young and the Restless.
Neil first appeared in Genoa City in 1991 and became the longest-running African American character on the show. The beloved character made his last appearance on the February 6, 2019, episode.
In real life, Kristoff St. John died on February 3, 2019, three days before the episode’s airdate. The actor was 52 years old.
St. John was discovered at home by friends who had come by to check on him, and he was later pronounced dead at the scene. His cause of death was listed as accidental and linked to “hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,” a type of heart disease, which was reportedly exacerbated by alcohol use.
Kristoff St. John’s personal struggles discussed in a documentary
While not on the set of The Young and the Restless, St. John struggled in his personal life. A documentary entitled Kristoff is scheduled to premiere in early 2025 and chronicles the actor’s life.
The film will cover St. John’s success as a child actor, being sexually assaulted by the late Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba when Kristoff was a child, and losing his son Julian by suicide in 2014.
The documentary also focuses on the actor’s success portraying Neil Winters on The Young and the Restless, for which St. John won two Daytime Emmy Awards and eight NAACP Image Awards. “I was working with the best, starring on television shows and films. I was back,” Kristoff St. John said of his success on The Young and the Restless in the documentary.
Kristoff St. John’s substance abuse and addictions
In the film, St. John’s ex-wife Mia said as his success on the show soared, he became addicted to drugs, beginning with crack. The documentary shows St. John drinking and lighting up a pipe.
Mia also shared that Kristoff had bipolar disorder, and she met him at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. “I stayed sober throughout the entire relationship,” Mia shares. She claims that Kristoff was on and off drugs throughout his life. “One day before I gave birth, Kristoff started back on crack cocaine,” Mia says in the documentary.
Who was Neil Winters on The Young and the Restless
On The Young and the Restless, Neil Winters was the father of Lily and adoptive father of Devon. He was famously wed to Drucilla Winters and was in a paternity dispute with his brother, Malcolm (Shemar Moore), who turned out to be Lily's biological father.
In Genoa City, Neil’s career began at Jabot Cosmetics, and he moved on to become Victor Newman’s right hand at Newman Enterprises. Neil eventually resigned, knowing that his growth in the company would always be limited, as he wasn’t family.
As CEO of Chancellor Industries, Neil had more room to grow until Tucker McCall took over the company. Dru and Neil bought Indigo, more formally called Indigo Jazz Club. Years later, Neil and Devon purchased Mergeron Enterprises and turned it into their own family-owned business, Hamilton Winters Group.
In 2019, it was announced that Neil had died in his sleep from a stroke, which rocked Genoa City residents. He is mentioned often and fondly in episodes to this day.
The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS.
