Esta TerBlanche, star of the soap All My Children, passed away on Thursday at her North Hollywood home at the age of 51. Authorities have not determined a cause of death. However, they believe she had been deceased for approximately a day, according to Deadline.
The news of her death remained private until Sunday, July 21, when her publicist, Lisa Rodrigo, announced it on Facebook.
“I can not believe I am posting this,” Rodrigo began. “It’s with a heavy heart that my friend and client Esta TerBlanche passed away Thursday of natural causes. An autopsy report is pending. I am still processing and in shock. Esta was a beautiful soul in and out. I was proud to know her and work with her. More to come in the days ahead. Thank you for the messages so far. If I haven’t gotten to you, I will soon. May she RIP with the angels that she is.”
Born on January 7, 1973, TerBlanche came from the North West province of South Africa. She was crowned Miss Teen South Africa in 1991 and subsequently starred in the popular drama Egoli: Place of Gold. From 1992 to 1995, she played the role of Bienkie Naudé Hartman on the show.
She departed from that show and relocated to the U.S. to advance her acting career, securing her role in All My Children two years later.
Esta TerBlanche Lands Her ‘All My Children’ Role
On the soap opera, TerBlanche portrayed Gillian, a determined Hungarian princess and cousin to Dimitri Marick. She became fascinated with Ryan Lavery, played by Cameron Mathison, and the two eventually married.
“The people I worked with were all so wonderful,” TerBlanche told Soap Opera Digest about her All My Children role. “It was such a privilege to be on the show. Cameron was just phenomenal and I feel so blessed that I was able to work with him. He really made every day just wonderful. It was just magical. I could not have been luckier.”
Her character was written out of the series, only to be revived a decade later for the finale in 2011.
After Gillian’s character died on the show in 2001, TerBlanche returned to South Africa. She opened a spa, collaborated on several documentaries with filmmaker Michael Kastenbaum, and hosted a variety of TV shows.
At the time of her passing, TerBlanche divided her time between South Africa and California.
She is survived by her ex-husband and her goddaughter, Barbie Ashley.