The actress from “All My Children” was 51

All my children Alumna Esta TerBlanche has died, her manager confirmed to PEOPLE on Sunday, July 21. She was 51 years old.

“We are deeply saddened by this news,” her manager Annie Spoliansky said in a statement to PEOPLE. “On a personal note, I would like to say that Esta was such a kind, loving, generous and caring person.”

“She cared so much for all people and animals,” she added. “She had squirrels that she fed and cared for daily, her two cats and youngest kittens that she cared for like her own children.”

“Esta was always generous and loving to me and I am grateful to have known her for so long and devastated to learn of her passing,” she concluded her statement.

The South African actress’ cause of death is unknown. Deadline reported that authorities believed TerBlanche had been dead for about a day when her body was found.

TerBlanche is best known for her role as Gillian Andrassy Lavery in All my children from 1997 to 2001. The character was a Hungarian princess whose lover and later husband in the series was Cameron Mathison’s character Ryan Lavery.

“RIP my sweet princess,” Mathison, 54, wrote on his Instagram Stories on Sunday in honor of a photo of the couple in character. He also posted another photo of the TV couple posing together, with broken heart emojis above it.

“Esta helped me last year when Red was sick and paralyzed and I was struggling,” he wrote over another photo of the couple, a recent selfie. “One of the nicest people ever.”

Mathison grinned in the photo while TerBlanche made a kissy face to him.

TerBlanche was Miss Teen South Africa in 1991 before starting a career as an actress. Deadline reported.

The former soap opera star was born on January 7, 1973 in South Africa and played the role of Bienkie Naudé Hartman in Egoli: Place of Golda popular drama in the country before she played her role in All my children.

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When the time of her death Deadline reported that she divided her time between South Africa and California.