Esta TerBlanche, who starred in All My Children , has died at age 51. The actress was found on Thursday in her North Hollywood home. While no cause has been established, authorities believe she had been dead for about a day according to Deadline .
TerBlanche played Gillian Andrassy Lavery on the ABC soap opera from 1997-2001. Prior to launching her acting career, TerBlanche won Miss Teen South Africa in 1991. “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,” said her publicist, Lisa Rodrigo, in a statement posted on Facebook. “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. Her first role was in the drama series Egoli: Place of Gold , where she played the role of Bienkie Naudé Hartman from 1992-95. She landed the All My Children gig two years after leaving Egoli to move to the United States to pursue her acting career.
TerBlanche’s character Gillian was a strong-willed Hungarian princess and the cousin of Dimitri Marick. She took a liking to Cameron Mathison ’s character, Ryan Lavery, and the couple later married. Following Gillian’s death on the show in 2001, TerBlanche returned to South Africa.
She opened a spa, hosted several TV shows, and worked on multiple documentaries with filmmaker Michael Kastenbaum. At the time of her death, she was splitting her time between South Africa and California. She is survived by her ex-husband and goddaughter Barbie Ashley.
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