Esta TerBlanche, a star on soap All My Children, died Thursday at her North Hollywood home at 51. No cause has been established and authorities believe she had been dead for about a day.
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TerBlanche played princess Gillian Andrassy Lavery on the ABC show from 1997-2001.
She was crowned Miss Teen South Africa in 1991, then launched an acting career.
Her publicist, Lisa Rodrigo, posted the news on Facebook.
“I can not 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.”
Born on January 7, 1973, TerBlanche hailed from the North West province of South Africa. After was crowned Miss Teen South Africa in 1991, then starred on the popular drama Egoli: Place of Gold, where she played the role of Bienkie Naudé Hartman from 1992-95.
She left that show and moved to the United States to pursue her acting career, landing her All My Children role two year later.
On the soap, TerBlanche played Gillian, a headstrong Hungarian princess and cousin of Dimitri Marick. She was intrigued by Cameron Mathison’s character, Ryan Lavery, and the couple married.
After Gillian’s death on the show in 2001, TerBlanche returned to South Africa. She opened a spa and worked on multiple documentaries with filmmaker Michael Kastenbaum. She also hosted several TV shows.
TerBlanche’s death was confirmed by her goddaughter to TMZ on Sunday, saying that she had been found dead in her North Hollywood home. A cause of death has not been reported; TVLine has reached out to TerBlanche’s representatives for confirmation.
TerBlanche career kicked off in 1991 when she was crowned Miss Teen South Africa. She went on to play Beatrice “Bienkie” Naudé Hartman in Egoli: Place of Gold, the first South African soap opera. The series, which ran from 1992 until its cancellation in 2013, followed the day-to-day lives of families living in Johannesburg, nicknamed the City of Gold. TerBlanche ultimately exited the series in 1995.