Kristoff St. John, best known for portraying the role of Neil Winters on CBS’ long-running soap The Young and the Restless, has died. He was 52. The cause of death is not immediately known.

The Daytime Emmy Awards shared news of his passing on their Twitter account.

“It is with unbelievable sadness that we say goodbye to our friend, #DaytimeEmmys winner @kristoffstjohn1. @YandR_CBS RIP.”

St. John won two Daytime Emmy awards out of nine nominations, along with ten NAACP Image Awards.

His attorney, Mark Geragos, paid tribute to St. John on Twitter. “Few men had the unique strength, courage & sensitivity that @kristoffstjohn1 lived every single minute of every day,” Geragos wrote. “He impacted everyone he met and millions who he inspired and in turn admired him. On behalf of @MiaStJohnBoxer & @TheStJohnFamily thank you for all of your love.”

St. John began his career as a child actor, portraying a young Alex Haley in the 1979 ABC miniseries Roots: The Next Generations. He also had a role as Booker Brown on ABC comedy series Happy Days, and as a boyfriend of Denise Huxtable on an early episode of The Cosby Show. His first major TV role came in 1985 sitcom Charlie & Co., portraying Charlie Richmond Jr.

His first major soap role was Adam Marshall on NBC’s Generations. He later originated the role of Neil Winters on The Young and the Restless, going to on to play the character for the next 23 years. He won his first Daytime Emmy for the role in 1992 and his second in 2008. He most recently appeared in the January 25 episode.

His other TV credits include The Bad News Bears and General Hospital.

St. John’s feature film work includes roles in The Champ and Pandora’s Box. He also starred in the independent feature Carpool Guy, directed by and starring fellow daytime alum Corbin Bernsen.