Kristoff St. John, Star of ‘Young & the Restless,’ Dead at 52

Kristoff St. John, who played Neil Winters on the CBS daytime soap opera “The Young & the Restless,” has died, according to his attorney Mark Geragos. According to some show’s cast bio, Kristoff St. John made his television debut at age 7 in the series, “That’s My Mama.” 

He went on to star in the show “Charlie & Company” with Flip Wilson, Gladys Knight, and Della Reese, and later had roles in “The Bad News Bears” and “The San Pedro Beach Bums.” St. John also had a recurring role on “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper” and made appearances on other TV shows, including “Diagnosis Murder,” “Arli$$,” “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “Martin,” and “Living Single.” His turn as Denise Huxtable’s vegetarian boyfriend David James, who crossed swords with her parents on an episode of “The Cosby Show,” was one of St. John’s most fondly remembered performances 

St. John joined the cast of “The Young & the Restless” in 1991. His character’s romance with Drucilla Winters (played with Victoria Rowell) became a favorite among fans of this series. In real life, St. John coped with all the drama which might have rivaled a soap opera. His family’s involvement with the guru Sathya Sai Baba led to the documentary” A Man Called God.” St. John said during a 2014 interview with CBS that his family was Hindu and his stepmother discovered the guru.