An upcoming documentary titled Kristoff will examine the tragic life and death of daytime TV actor Kristoff St. John, who died in 2019.
People magazine obtained the exclusive trailer, which is told in part through the actor’s own voice.
The film is directed by Bobby Razak and explores the beginning of The Young and the Restless star’s life, including his start in Hollywood as a child actor on NBC’s Saturday-morning comedy Big John, Little John.
In the trailer, released on June 7, St. John says, “I loved my Hollywood life. Our house was in the suburbs of Los Angeles. It seemed we were living the all-American middle-class dream.”
That dream came crashing down when he began to struggle after he alleged he was molested as a child by the late Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba.
Related Story: ‘Young and the Restless’ Pays Tribute to Kristoff St. John
According to interviews in the documentary, St. John began to cope by using alcohol and a variety of drugs, including crack.
The documentary also discusses his marriage to his former wife, professional boxer and model Mia St. John. The couple had two children together, Julian and Paris.
While Mia was pregnant with their first child, St. John continued to struggle with substance abuse.
“One day before I gave birth, Kristoff started back on crack cocaine,” Mia says in the trailer.
Another person close to the actor says he “was bipolar,” adding that the actor “was suffering from a mental illness.”
The documentary also touches on the mental health struggles of the actor’s oldest child Julian and the grief St. John went through after his son’s death in 2014, while in the care of a mental health facility. Although Julian’s death was ruled a suicide, People previously reported his family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against La Casa Psychiatric Health Facility, alleging the staff did not do mandatory periodic checks on their son (who was supposed to be on suicide watch).
In the final moments of the trailer, Kristoff says, “It’s almost as if we invite the madness and enjoy the pain.”
The documentary will be released next year. A premiere date and network will be announced later.
As previously reported, Kristoff St. John died in 2019 at the age of 52 from “hypertrophic heart disease.”
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