Kristoff St. John was joyful and laughing during one of his final television appearances.
St. John filmed a “Straight Talk” panel segment Steve Harvey‘s daytime talk show Steve in December 2018, just two months before he was found dead. PEOPLE has an exclusive look at the segment, along with a tribute to the actor, which will air Friday.
Looking back on St. John’s time on the show, Harvey says the actor appeared to be in good spirits.
“He was real cool, we were all laughing,” Harvey says. “He was telling jokes on the side. There was no indication that anything was wrong.”
Harvey was joined by two of St. John’s The Young and the Restless costars Doug Davidson and Victoria Rowell for the special episode, in which they reflected on the late actor’s legacy.
“He was just so full of love,” says Davidson, 64. “That would be the most powerful thing that I will remember about him. In any circumstance, if you were in trouble or were having trouble dealing with anything he was always very supportive. He would be there for you.”
Rowell, 59, pointed to St. John’s love for his family as one of the late actor’s most defining characteristics.
“He was just a family man,” she says. “He loved his family.”
Over the years, Rowell says she spent time helping St. John cope with the loss of his son Julian St. John, who died by suicide in 2014.
“Kristoff was dealing with his own internal grief,” she says. “Kristoff was beautiful, joyous — but he was complex.”
The two-time Emmy Award-winning actor was found dead Feb. 3 in his home in the San Fernando Valley. He was 52.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a death investigation took place for a possible alcohol overdose.
PEOPLE previously reported that an autopsy has been completed, but a cause of death has been deferred pending additional results.
Julian struggled with mental illness before his death, and some of St. John’s final social media posts reflected on his son’s suicide. On Jan. 21, St. John retweeted someone’s post about losing a child that read, “Grieving the loss of a child is a process. It begins on the day your child passes, and ends the day the parent joins them.”
“Never a truer word was spoke,” tweeted St. John, who is survived by his fiancée, Kseniya Mikhaleva, daughter Paris (with ex-wife Mia St. John), and daughter Lola (with ex-wife Allana Nadal). “Thanks for posting this.”
Mia gave her first interview since the tragedy Thursday night, telling Entertainment Tonight that St. John thought he saw Julian shortly before he died.
“He was just so depressed. We knew he was drinking and just saying he didn’t want to be here anymore,” said Mia, who married St. John in 1991. The former couple split in 1995 but remained close.
“‘Julian’s at the door,’” she recalled him telling her over the phone.
The Young and the Restless star will be buried at the Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California, according TMZ. According to the outlet, his grave will be next to the that of his son.
The special episode of Steve airs Friday (check local listings).
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