‘The Young and the Restless’ viewers have been warned to prepare themselves for a "profoundly emotional" farewell to Kristoff St. John.
The actor passed away in February at the age of 52 and in episodes airing this week, the family of his character Neil Winters – who he played for almost three decades – will learn he has passed away and will gather to reflect and remember the businessman.
Head writer Josh Griffith said: "[Viewers need] to prepare themselves for a very profoundly emotional journey over those four days, and have lots of boxes of Kleenex right by.
"But in the end, as we knew that Kristoff would want it, it goes from being a passing of him to a celebration of his life."
And the writer, who is also co-producer on the show, felt it was important to honour Kristoff’s "legacy" on the show.
He told USA Today newspaper: ""We had to, for his sake, for his legacy. He was so important to the show, so important to daytime television. To television, period.
"He was too humble and grounded to consider himself someone who had broken any ground. He was just an actor who came to work doing something he loved, and he never really approached it any other way."
Familiar faces including Shemar Moore – who played Neil’s brother Malcolm Winters – Christel Khalil and Eileen Davidson will return to the soap for the special episodes, while Kristoff’s friend and ‘Roots: The Next Generations’ co-star Stan Shaw has been cast as the reverend presiding over the funeral.
On April 29, a one-off special paying tribute to the actor will be broadcast, featuring clips from his 27-year stint on the show, and past and present cast members sharing their memories.
Young and the Restless plan ‘profoundly emotional’ tribute to Kristoff St John
