Actress Esta Terblanche, best known for her role in the long-running soap opera “All My Children,” has died at the age of 51.
A representative for Terblanche confirmed her death to USA Today on Sunday, after her publicist, Lisa Rodrigo, first announced her death on Facebook.
“I can’t believe I’m posting this,” Rodrigo wrote on Facebook. “I am sad to say that my friend and client, Esta Terblanche, passed away Thursday from natural causes. Autopsy report pending.”
The spokesperson added: “I am still in shock and it’s hard to process. Esta was a beautiful person, inside and out, and I am proud to have known and worked with her. We will have more to say in the coming days.”
The South African actress played Princess Gillian Andrassy on the ABC soap opera from 1997 until the role was canceled in 2001. She also starred in the South African series “Egoli: A Place of Gold” and appeared in an episode of “Spin City,” according to IMDb.
Want to take a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
According to Soap Opera Digest, Terbranch was a former Miss Teen South Africa.
Alec Musser:‘All My Children’ actor’s cause of death revealed
Speaking to Soap Central in 2021, Terbranch, who was born in Rustenburg, South Africa, reflected on the “very scary” experience of moving to America to pursue an acting career there.
“I was super scared and I was crying a lot for two weeks before I went, thinking, ‘Why am I doing this?'” she said. “I was really questioning myself, ‘Why am I doing this? Why?’ But I knew I had a deeper calling and I had to come here.”
Pamela Blair died:The “All My Children” and “A Chorus Line” actress was 73 years old.
Terbranch’s death marks the latest loss for the soap opera world, following the death in June of Doug Sheehan, who played Joe Kelly for more than 200 episodes of “General Hospital.” In January, “All My Children” actor Alec Musser died at age 50, and in May, “General Hospital” star Johnny Wactor was shot and killed in Los Angeles.
Contributors: Alyssa Goldberg, Edward Segarra and Pamela Avila, USA TODAY
