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Emmy-winning and longtime star of the popular soap the  “Young And The Restless,”  Kristoff St. John’s (pictured above) and his wife, Mia, announced via Twitter that their “beautiful” 24-year-old son, Julian (pictured below), committed suicide, thereby ending his lifelong battle with mental illness.

Julian, whom his parents say was a gifted artist, suffered from serious bouts of depression.  Julian’s emotional toils caused him to become homeless, grapple with drug addiction and have run-ins with the authorities, according to his mother. He dealt with depression since childhood and was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 18

Julian has had his paintings and drawings compared to another young black artist who also battled emotional demons, Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Mia took to Twitter to tell the world about her son:

On November 23rd Kristoff St John and I lost our beautiful son, Julian St John. Our son was the light of our lives, an artist with a beautiful mind and spirit. He fought long and hard against an illness for which there is no cure. Unfortunately the pain became too great for him and I dare not say he lost the battle–he simply chose to set himself free. My fight for mental health will continue. They may not find a cure in my lifetime, but we can try and prevent the loss of another beautiful soul. 

Julian would have turned 25 on December 5, which will now be the day of his burial.

SEE ALSO: Why We Need to Call Suicide What It Is