Shemar Moore took a moment on Sunday night at the Daytime Emmy Awards to honour the late actor Kristoff St. John.
St. John was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Feb. 3. His cause of death was ruled an “accident” and was listed as hypertrophic heart disease, which the Mayo Clinic defines as a condition in which the “heart muscle becomes abnormally thick,” making it harder for the heart to pump blood.
WATCH: Kristoff St. John dead — ‘Young & the Restless’ star dies at 52
Before presenting the last award of the night for Outstanding Drama Series, Moore took a moment to bring the audience to their feet with a tribute to St. John.
READ MORE: ‘Young and the Restless’ cast begins final farewell to Kristoff St. John
“I want to do something that’s very important to me and very important to a lot of us,” Moore began. “This year, we had to say goodbye to a good man, a great man, a special individual, Mr. Kristoff St. John.”
He expressed how thankful he was for Young and the Restless and its cast for paying tribute to St. John “the right way.”
“The tribute that aired this past week on The Young and the Restless that said goodbye to Kristoff and his character, Neil Winters, was so beautifully, beautifully done,” he said of his onscreen brother, “and I know Kristoff is proud of all of us.”
WATCH: Melody Thomas Scott mourns her former castmate, Kristoff St. John
He went on to speak about how St. John “changed the game.”
“He opened the door for so many of us, myself and a lot of people out there, whether you know it or not. So as you continue, young actors, carry his torch with pride. I have a life but I don’t have this life and I damn sure don’t have this career without Kristoff St. John in my life and dancing with that man for 10 years strong and being his friend for over 20,” Moore said.
READ MORE: Shemar Moore returning to ‘Young and the Restless’ to honour Kristoff St. John
“Kristoff was my friend. He was my brother. He was my mentor. He was my acting coach. He was my therapist,” the Criminal Minds actor continued. “I thought I was the goofiest dude in the world. He got me beat. That was one goofy, goofy man. But he was so professional. In my opinion, he is the most iconic, popular, thorough, professional, talented, big-hearted, African-American actor in soap opera history.”
Moore said that St. John was “up in heaven now with his son.”
“They’re dancing and they’re laughing,” he said. “And Kristoff wants us to continue to celebrate and celebrate each other. He wants us to step up and do the work. Get honoured for your work. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Make sure you laugh and have a good time.”
He concluded by telling the audience how St. John is missed and will always be remembered.
“Rest in peace, keep dancing and we will never, ever forget you, my brother,” Moore said.
After announcing that Young and the Restless had won for Outstanding Drama Series, Moore said: “Kristoff, this is for you, baby.”
READ MORE: Kristoff St. John’s cause of death revealed
Moore returned to Young and the Restless for two episodes, which aired on April 25 and 26, as St. John’s character Neil’s brother, Malcolm Winters.
A special aired on April 29 that paid tribute to the late actor and his nearly 28-year tenure on Young and the Restless with clips from the show and current and former cast members sharing memories of him, including Victoria Rowell, who played Neil’s wife Drucilla for a number of years.
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