Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Esta Terblanche, star of the soap opera “All My Children,” died Thursday at her North Hollywood home at the age of 51. No cause of death was released, and authorities believe she had been dead for about a day.
Terbranch played Princess Gillian Andrassy Lavery on the ABC show from 1997 to 2001.
She was crowned Miss Teen South Africa in 1991 and subsequently launched her acting career.
Her publicist, Lisa Rodrigo, posted the news on Facebook.
“I can’t believe I’m posting this. I am so sad to announce that my friend and client, Esta Terblanche, passed away Thursday from natural causes. The autopsy report is pending. I am still in shock and struggling to process it. Esta was a beautiful person inside and out. I was honored to know and work with her. I will have more to share in the future. Thank you for all your messages so far. If I haven’t responded yet, I will do so soon.
“May she rest in peace, like the angel she is.”
Terblanche was born on January 7, 1973 in the northwestern part of South Africa. She was crowned Miss Teen South Africa in 1991 and later played the role of Bienki Naude Hartman in the hit TV series Egoli: A Place of Gold from 1992 to 1995.
She left the show and moved to America to pursue an acting career, landing a role on All My Children two years later.
In the series, Terbranch played Dimitri Malick’s cousin, the headstrong Hungarian princess Gillian, who became intrigued by Cameron Matheson’s character Ryan Lavery and the two ended up marrying.
After Gillian’s death on the show in 2001, Terbranch returned to South Africa, where she opened a spa, produced several documentaries with filmmaker Michael Kastenbaum, and hosted several television shows.
At the time of her death, Terblanche was dividing her time between South Africa and California.
She is survived by her ex-husband and her goddaughter, Barbie Ashley.
