Shemar Moore pays tribute to Kristoff St. John at Daytime Emmys: We won't 'ever forget you'

Shemar Moore brought attendees of Sunday's Daytime Emmy Awards to their feet with a tribute to his onscreen brother, Kristoff St. John.

Moore played Malcolm Winters, brother to St. John's Neil on "The Young and the Restless." St. John was found dead at his Los Angeles-area home on Feb. 3. An autopsy report obtained by USA TODAY in March attributed his death to hypertrophic heart disease. He was 52.

Before Moore presented the last award of the evening – outstanding drama series – he took a moment to go off-script.

"I want to do something that's very important to me and very important to a lot of us," the "S.W.A.T." actor began. "This year, we had to say goodbye to a good man, a great man, a special individual, Mr. Kristoff St. John."

Moore expressed his gratitude to CBS, the show 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, "and I know Kristoff is proud of all of us."

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Moore reflected on how St. John "changed the game."

"He opened the door for some 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 (expletive) sure don't have this career without Kristoff St. John in my life..."

Before turning back to the award, Moore had a parting message for St. John: "... we miss you, rest in peace, keep dancing and we will never, ever forget you, my brother."

After opening the envelope to see the winner, Moore was in disbelief.

"Shut yo' mouth, 'The Young and the Restless,'" he said with a wide smile. "Kristoff, this is for you, baby!"

On the "Y&R" tribute show that aired April 29, Moore remembered nervously trying out for his role in 1994. He said St. John played a part in getting him hired.

Moore, who kept his sunglasses on during the audition, recalled being "so scared" about the audition – and in awe of St. John, whom he referred to as "the man."

Moore remembered the advice St. John gave him before his audition: "He goes, 'Keep the shades on 'cause I know you're nervous, but I got you... Just ride with me, and we'll get it done.' "

As the "Criminal Minds" alum tells it, he earned the role because St. John advocated for him during a discussion with co-creator William J. Bell.

"I want the scared kid with the baseball hat and the sunglasses to play my brother," St. John told the producer. "He's got a long way to go, but I know he can do it."

But Moore said St. John's kindness didn't stop there: "He carried me. He embraced me. He was always my mentor, I always looked up to him, and the stronger I got, the prouder he got."

Contributing: Jayme Deerwester

More: 'Young and the Restless': Kristoff St. John's Neil Winters may have died of massive stroke

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shemar Moore pays tribute to Kristoff St. John at Daytime Emmys: We won't 'ever forget you'