Esta TerBlanche, the South African actress best known for her work on All My Children, has died. She was 51.
Her manager, Annie Spoliansky, confirmed TerBlanche’s death to Entertainment Weekly.
“Esta was such a kind, loving, giving, and caring person,” Spoliansky said in a statement. “She cared so deeply for all people and animals. She had squirrels she fed and looked after daily, her two cats, and recent kittens that she cared for as her own children. Esta was never anything but generous and lovely to me, and I’m grateful to have known her for the time that I did, and devastated to learn of her passing.”
TerBlanche’s publicist, Lisa Rodrigo, also confirmed the news in a Saturday Facebook post, writing that the actress died of natural causes and that an autopsy report is “pending.”
Rodrigo continued, “Esta was a beautiful soul in and out. I was proud to know her and work with her… May she RIP with the angels that she is.”
Born Jan. 7, 1973, in Rustenburg, South Africa, TerBlanche got her start when she was crowned Miss Teen South Africa in 1991. She subsequently pursued acting, starring in the popular drama Egoli: Place of Gold as Bienkie Naudé Hartman from 1992- 1995. TerBlanche decided against renewing her contract with the show, instead departing for Los Angeles to further her career.
By 1997, after starring in commercials and ad campaigns, TerBlanche was cast as Gillian Andrassy in All My Children. A Hungarian princess, Gillian was initially a troublemaking and arrogant addition to the show but later evolved into a much kinder person. She was also one half of a fan-favorite enemies-to-lovers pairing with Cameron Mathison’s Ryan Lavery that ended with the couple getting married.
Gillian was killed off in a 2001 episode, when TerBlanche expressed a desire to return home to South Africa.
In a recent 2024 interview with Soap Opera Digest, TerBlanche reflected fondly on her tenure on the show.
“The people I worked with were all so wonderful,” TerBlanche said in the interview, published July 13. “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.”
Of her brief return to the show, when Gillian’s ghost made an appearance a decade after her death, TerBlanche said, “It was really emotional for me and Cameron. When we saw each other, we both started bawling. Back then, we hadn’t seen each other for years, so it was such a touching moment for us.”
After leaving the soap opera, TerBlanche took a break from acting to explore her interest in the medical field and opened a spa. The actress was married to André Kock from 1997 until 2008.
TerBlanche is survived by her ex-husband and goddaughter Barbie Ashley.
