‘All My Children’ Star Esta TerBlanche Passes Away at 51

Esta TerBlanche, known for her role as Gillian Andrassy on the popular soap opera All My Children from 1997 to 2001, passed away on Thursday, July 18. She was 51 years old.

Lisa Rodrigo, TerBlanche’s publicist, confirmed her passing through a heartfelt post on Facebook. “It is with a heavy heart that my friend and client Esta Terblanche passed away Thursday of natural causes,” she wrote. “An autopsy report is pending.”

TMZ also reported the news, indicating that TerBlanche died at her home in Los Angeles, California. Her goddaughter, Barbie Ashley, confirmed the sudden and unexpected passing to the publication, saying that TerBlanche was found by medical personnel about a day later.

The cause of death is still under investigation, with no official cause named as of Sunday, July 21.

“I am still processing and in shock,” Rodrigo’s post continued. “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.”

Born in 1973 in South Africa, TerBlanche was crowned Miss Teen South Africa in 1991. She began her career as an actor and moved to Los Angeles in 1995. Just two years later, she landed the role of Gillian Andrassy on All My Children, becoming a regular on the show for four years. In 2001, she requested to be written out of the show to return to her home country of South Africa, and consequently, her character was written off the show.

Source: TMZ