While planning its episodes to honor Kristoff St. John (ex-Neil Winters), The Young and the Restless asked the late star's longtime friend, Stan Shaw, to step in as the pastor who will lead the funeral for Neil Winters.
TV Insider reports that Shaw and St. John were pals in real life, having met while starring together in the iconic miniseries Roots: The Next Generation in 1979. The actors' longtime friendship no doubt made Shaw's Thursday, April 25, appearance especially tough to film.
As Soap Central previously reported, Y&R is dedicating a week of storyline to St. John beginning Tuesday, April 23, and will also be airing a non-scripted tribute episode, scheduled for Monday, April 29. In addition to Shaw, viewers can look forward to appearances by Shemar Moore (Malcolm Winters), Victoria Rowell (Drucilla Winters), Mishael Morgan (Hilary Curtis), Christel Khalil (Lily Winters), and Eileen Davidson (Ashley Abbott).
Shaw has a lengthy acting résumé with roles on films like Daylight, Rising Sun, and Fried Green Tomatoes. His television credits include Criminal Minds, Murder, She Wrote, Wiseguy, and The Mississippi.
What do you think about Y&R hiring Kristoff St. John's real-life friend, Stan Shaw, to play the pastor at Neil's funeral? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
