Shemar Moore Shares Heartfelt Tribute to Kristoff St. John

Shemar Moore and Kristoff St. John (Credit: Instagram)

Shemar Moore has spoken out about the close bond he shared with his former co-star, Kristoff St. John, who was found dead at his home in Los Angeles Sunday.

St. John, 52, played Neil Winters on CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless.

Early in his career, Moore co-starred as his half-brother, Malcolm Winters, before moving on to roles on Criminal Minds and S.W.A.T.

Moore, 48, posted a video tribute on Instagram Monday and said St. John was like a brother.

“Mr. Kristoff St. John, I lost my brother yesterday,” a visibly distraught Moore said. “I’ve never had a brother, but you were my brother. You showed me the way. You were my mentor, you were my inspiration. You showed me what true talent was. You showed me what humility was.”

He continued, “I hate this. I love you, but I’m going to celebrate all your good. To my ‘Young and Restless’ family, Kristoff St. John, aka Neil Winters, celebrate this man, the most popular, iconic black man in soap opera, daytime history, give him that. He earned it.”

Moore concluded by saying, “Kristoff, sleep man. Find your peace.”

St. John joined the cast of Y&R in 1991. He won two Daytime Emmys and several NAACP Image Awards for his work on the show.

The late actor’s 24-year-old son Julian died in 2014. He is survived by daughters Paris and Lola.