‘All My Children’ Actress Passes Away at 51

Esta TerBlanche, known for her role in All My Children, has passed away at the age of 51.

The actress was discovered on Thursday in her North Hollywood residence. While the cause of death hasn’t been determined, authorities believe she had been deceased for about a day, as reported by Deadline.

TerBlanche portrayed Gillian Andrassy Lavery on the ABC soap opera from 1997 to 2001.

Before her acting career took off, TerBlanche won Miss Teen South Africa in 1991.

Her publicist, Lisa Rodrigo, expressed her sorrow on Facebook: “I cannot believe I am posting this. 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.”

TerBlanche was born on January 7, 1973, in the North West province of South Africa. She first gained recognition in the drama series Egoli: Place of Gold, where she played Bienkie Naudé Hartman from 1992 to 1995.

Two years after leaving Egoli to move to the United States, she landed her iconic role in All My Children.

Her character Gillian was a determined Hungarian princess and cousin of Dimitri Marick. She developed a romantic storyline with Cameron Mathison’s character, Ryan Lavery, and the two eventually married on the show.

After her character’s death in 2001, TerBlanche returned to South Africa. She went on to open a spa, host several television shows, and collaborate on multiple documentaries with filmmaker Michael Kastenbaum.

At the time of her death, TerBlanche was dividing her time between South Africa and California.

She leaves behind her ex-husband and goddaughter, Barbie Ashley.

Source: Deadline