South African actress Esta TerBlanche, who starred for many years in the beloved soap opera “All My Children,” has died, according to her publicist and manager.
She was 51.
Lisa Rodrigo, TerBlanche’s publicist, shared the news on Facebook, writing: “It is with a heavy heart that my friend and client Esta TerBlanche passed away on Thursday from natural causes. An autopsy report is pending.”
“I am still processing and in shock. Esta was a beautiful soul inside and out. I was proud to know her and work with her. More to come in the days ahead,” she wrote. “May she be RIP with the angels that she is.”
Terblanche died at a home in Los Angeles, according to online coroner records. However, no details about the cause or manner were provided.
Her manager, Annie Spoliansky, wrote on social media on Sunday: “Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my dear friend and client Esta TerBlanche. She was a beautiful and gentle soul who will be missed dearly. Her longtime role in All My Children will live on.”
NBC News has reached out to Spoliansky for comment.
The star was born on January 7, 1973, in Rustenburg in South Africa’s North West province. TerBlanche won Miss Teen South Africa in 1991 as a young beauty before entering the acting world, Deadline reported.
She played the role of Hungarian princess Gillian Andrassy Lavery in “All My Children” from 1997 to 2001. According to her IMDb profile, she also starred in the TV series “Egoli: Place of Gold” from 1992 to 1995.
Actor Cameron Mathison, who played Ryan Lavery, TerBlanche’s character’s love interest, on “All My Children,” paid tribute to her on Sunday.
On his Instagram stories, he shared a photo of the two from the show with the caption, “RIP my sweet princess.” He also shared a photo of the two of them laughing off set, writing, “Esta helped me last year when Red was sick and paralyzed and I was struggling. One of the sweetest people ever.”
Deadline reported that TerBlanche was splitting her time between Los Angeles and South Africa at the time of her death.