Michelle Botes, the veteran South African actress and a fan favorite for her role as the villainous Cherel de Villiers-Haines in the soap opera Isidingo, has died.
Videos by Suggest
Botes passed away in Cape Town on Saturday, December 21. She was 62.
Her talent agency, Oh Talent Management, confirmed the news to News24, revealing that she had been battling advanced multiple myeloma, a rare and incurable form of blood cancer.
In July 2022, Botes was diagnosed with advanced multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that targets plasma cells in the bone marrow, according to the Mayo Clinic.
However, she only recently chose to share her diagnosis publicly.
In an interview with the Afrikaans magazine Bruis, the actress revealed that she underwent chemotherapy, steroid treatments, and a stem cell transplant. Despite these efforts, her doctors informed her in October that her cancer levels were “rising alarmingly quickly.” Heartbreakingly, she was given a prognosis of just two to three months to live.
“I can go in two months – maybe it is my time. Whatever awaits me, I am ready,” Botes explained to the outlet. “I have experienced lovely times with my children and their companions over the past five months. Life is so contradictory; I am dying, but everywhere in nature, there are signs of new life. This gives me joy and peace.”
Michelle Botes Prolific Acting Career, Including a Memorable Genre Appearance
Botes is a well-known South African actress recognized for her work in soap operas. She gained widespread attention for her role as Cherel de Villiers-Haines in the SABC3 soap Isidingo. The role earned Safta nominations for Best Actress in a TV Soap in 2006, 2007, and 2012.
She is also known for playing Angelique Price in Legacy. The role earned her a Golden Horn for Best Supporting Actress in a Telenovela in 2021. It also nabbed her a Best Actress in a Telenovela award in 2023.
Botes also starred as Princess Gobbler in 1994’s Arende, Ingrid Louw-Koster in 2009’s Binnelanders, Tyra in Netflix’s 2022 drama Jewel, and Elzabe in 2022’s Aangetroud (per her IMDb profile). Her other credits include No Hero, Triptiek, Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, and Onder Draai die Duiwel Rond, among others.
Meanwhile, genre fans might remember Botes popping up in the martial arts action film American Ninja 2: The Confrontation back in 1987.
Botes is survived by her two children, Cara and Daniel, whom she shares with her former husband, Ian Roberts.