CBS will air a tribute to the late actor on Friday
The Young and the Restless family will say goodbye to their costar and dear friend Kristoff St. John as CBS prepares to air the late actor’s final episode on Wednesday, PEOPLE confirms.
The network plans to air a special tribute to St. John during the episode on Friday, a rep for CBS tells PEOPLE.
On Sunday, St. John was found dead at his home in the San Fernando Valley. He was 52.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a death investigation took place at around 2:05 p.m. for a possible alcohol overdose at the 2300 block of Morea Way. According to TMZ, which first reported the news, the actor’s body was found after one of his friends went to check on him at his home.
St. John’s death came two weeks after he publicly mourned the loss of his son Julian with ex-wife Mia St. John. Julian, who struggled with addiction and mental illness, died by suicide a little over four years ago at age 24. On Jan. 21, St. John retweeted someone’s post about losing a child that reads, “Grieving the loss of a child is a process. It begins on the day your child passes, and ends the day the parent joins them.”
“Never a truer word was spoke,” tweeted St. John, who is survived by his fiancée, Kseniya Mikhaleva, daughter Paris (with Mia), and daughter Lola (with ex-wife Allana Nadal). “Thanks for posting this.”
Since the news of his death broke, fans, costars and family members have been sharing words of love and support.
“I’m raised an only child, but Kristoff is truly the closest thing to a brother and a brother’s love and a brother’s mentorship that I’ve ever known,” costar Shemar Moore told PEOPLE about St. John.
RELATED: Kristoff St. John’s Autopsy Completed, Cause of Death Deferred Pending Toxicology Results
St. John and Moore, 48, starred opposite each other on The Young & the Restless, on which St. John played Neil Winters — since 1991 — and Moore played his half-brother, Malcolm Winters.
“He didn’t have to embrace me the way he did. When I came in and was trying to find my way and he saw how scared I was, he saw how nervous I was,” Moore said. “He saw my six pack and all that, but he just saw me and he embraced me like a brother. If he hadn’t embraced me, I would have never got my sure footing in the beginning days.”
St. John’s fiancée, model Kseniya Mikhaleva, shared her disbelief on social media as well, writing “So early…so early” on her Instagram Story with crying and heart emojis. “Why are you leave so early?” she wrote. “Why…you are always in my heart.”
CBS Television Network and Sony Pictures Television released a joint statement: “The news of Kristoff St. John’s passing is heartbreaking. He was a very talented actor and an even better person. For those of us who were fortunate enough to work with him on ‘The Young and the Restless’ for the last 27 years, he was a beloved friend whose smile and infectious laugh made every day on set a joy and made audiences love him. On behalf of the Y&R cast and crew, CBS and Sony Pictures Television, we offer our heartfelt sympathy to his family and loved ones, especially his two daughters, Paris and Lola.”
In 2017, St. John underwent psychiatric treatment after a reported scare regarding his mental health. According to TMZ, he threatened to kill himself with a gun and was placed under a 72-hour hold for psychiatric evaluation.
In a statement to Entertainment Tonight at the time, Mia blasted reports about the incident that led her ex to seek help.
“I want the world to know the truth about what is happening with Kristoff, because currently there is inaccurate, and fabricated information being reported by certain online outlets,” she said. “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. 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.”
St. John’s last episode of The Young and the Restless will air Wednesday at 11:30 ET on CBS.