Kristoff St. John, a pioneering Black soap opera veteran and star of The Young and the Restless, has been found dead at his home. He was 52.

According to TMZ: “Law enforcement sources tell us one of Kristoff’s friends went to check on him at the actor’s home in San Fernando Valley, and found his body. Police and paramedics were alerted and responded to the house. We’re told Kristoff was pronounced dead on the scene.”

There are no signs of foul play, although a source told TMZ that alcohol may have played a role.

St. John portrayed Neil Winters on the show since 1991 and was nominated for nine Daytime Emmys. His character’s on-screen romance with Victoria Rowell’s Drucilla Winters is widely considered to be the first Black super couple in daytime television.

St. John’s son, Julian, died by suicide in 2014 while he was getting treatment at a mental health facility. In 2017, St. John also threatened to kill himself and was placed under a 72-hour hold for evaluation. Since 2014, St. John had taken breaks from The Young and the Restless to work on his mental health.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255. If you prefer text messages, you can hit up the Crisis Text Line by texting TWT to 741-741.

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