Wednesday’s episode of “The Young and the Restless” found Neil Winters’ family grappling with the news of his unexpected death, revealed the day before.
The soap character was portrayed by Kristoff St. John, who was found dead at his home in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on Feb. 3. His death at age 52 was the result of hypertrophic heart disease, according to an autopsy report obtained by USA TODAY in March.
Lily (Christel Khalil) arrived at the penthouse of Devon (Bryton James) looking for answers.
Dr. Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) told Lily: “There’s still a lot we don’t know.”
“From everything I’ve seen and heard, it sounds like a massive stroke,” Dr. Hastings said. “Its possible he had high blood pressure and never even knew. That’s why they call it the silent killer.”
Devon recounted finding Neil’s lifeless body. His death was revealed Tuesday, which kicked off a major plot point for the week.
“I went upstairs and saw him in bed,” Devon said on Wednesday’s show. “He just looked like he was asleep. His eyes were closed, and he looked peaceful. I tried to wake him up.”
Later in the show, viewers got a glimpse of St. John when Devon saw a vision of Neil.
“Why’d you have to go and do that, man?” Devon asked Neil, who remained silent. “Is there anything that I could’ve done or … that we could’ve said to keep you here?
“I miss you. I love you,” he added. “Why’d you have to leave us? I really need you, man. I really, really need you more than anybody knows that I do. I just, I really need you.”
And with that, the vision disappeared.
During Tuesday’s episode, Lily told Devon that their “dad” was on his way to an event. (Lily’s biological father is actually Neil’s brother, Malcolm.)
Later, Devon became curious of Neil’s whereabouts.
“Last I heard he was recharging his battery at your place for the dance floor,” Lily told him.
“Yeah, I was hoping he’d be here by now, but he hasn’t responded to my messages or my texts,” Devon replied.
“Well, you know how hard he sleeps,” Lily reasoned. “Just try him again.”
But as Devon reported, his call just went “straight to voicemail.” So he went looking for Neil.
“Wake up, it’s not a party till Neil Winters shows up,” Devon called out at his penthouse.
But something terrible had happened, as evidenced by Devon appearing again on camera with tears in his eyes.
Devon returned to the event where he pulled Lily aside. Music played over inaudible dialog as Lily began to break down.
Devon then began to tell other people of their loss at the party.
Thursday and Friday, St. John’s on-screen brother Shemar Moore was set to return to his role of Malcolm for the first time since 2014.
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Moore was among several of St. John’s co-stars to open up about their grief.
“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,” Moore told People magazine in February.
“Without Kristoff St. John, there’s no Neil Winters. Without Neil Winters, there’s no opportunity for Malcolm Winters. And without Malcolm Winters, there’s no Shemar Moore,” the “S.W.A.T.” star added. “And if Shemar Moore didn’t get my chance to try on ‘The Young and the Restless,’ then I don’t sit here today with let alone this career or this life.”
On Monday, “Y&R” will honor St. John with a tribute show where his former colleagues will reflect on the departed actor. Moore and Victoria Rowell, who played Neil’s former wife, Drucilla, are among the participants. The episode will also feature clips of St. John’s portrayal of Neil.
The soap paid tribute to St. John on Feb. 8 with a short segment that left some viewers on Twitter feeling shortchanged.
The tribute, which lasted about a minute, confused some expecting more of the show to be devoted to St. John. Others thought he deserved more. But not all were offended by the segment and complimented the sendoff.
St. John’s last episode of the show aired on Feb. 6.
Contributing: Jayme Deerwester
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