“All My Children” star Esta TerBlanche dies at 51

All my children star This TerBlanche died at the age of 51, We weekly confirmed.

“Esta was such a kind, loving, generous and caring person,” said Terblanche’s manager. Annie Spoliansky, said in a statement to Us“She cared so much for all people and animals. 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 death.”

TerBlanche’s goddaughter Barbie Ashley told TMZ on Sunday, July 21, that the actress had died unexpectedly on Thursday, July 18.

Authorities say TerBlanche was dead a day before she was found in her Hollywood home. TerBlanche’s representative Lisa Rodrigo confirmed the news via social media.

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“I can’t believe I’m posting this. It is with a heavy heart that my friend and client Esta TerBlanche passed away on Thursday of natural causes. An autopsy report is pending,” she wrote on Facebook. “I am still processing this and am in shock. Esta was a beautiful soul inside and out. I was proud to know and work with her. There will be more in the coming days. Thank you for the messages so far. If I haven’t reached you yet, I will soon. May she rest in peace with the angels that she is.”

TerBlanche played in All my children from 1997 to 2001 in the role of Gillian. After her role in the series was filmed, her husband Ryan Lavery (Cameron Mathison) her life support was withdrawn. She later returned to the series for one episode in 2011, playing Gillian’s ghost.

“When I came back, it was very emotional for me and Cameron. When we saw each other, we both started crying,” TerBlanche said Soap Opera Overview earlier this month. “We hadn’t seen each other for years, so it was such a touching moment for us.”

Mathison paid tribute to his former co-star on Sunday. “Rest in peace my sweet princess,” he wrote on his Instagram story with a broken heart emoji above a photo from the soap opera.

He also shared a more recent selfie and revealed that they have stayed in touch. “Esta helped me last year when (my dog) Red was sick and paralyzed and I was struggling 🙏 One of the nicest people ever 💔,” Mathison wrote.

Since leaving All my childrenThe outlet reported that TerBlanche opened her own spa and worked on documentaries with the filmmaker in South Africa Michael KastenbaumShe also hosted television shows, including Supermodel And Blank power of attorney.

“I traveled a lot with these documentaries and they were so incredible,” she said. “We did something about the biggest snake in the world and really interesting pieces that were scary, wild and unbelievable. A lot of them were about animals, so that was right up my alley.”

TerBlanche, who splits her time between South Africa and the United States, expressed a desire to get back in front of the camera. “It’s definitely something I’d like to do again,” she told the outlet.