Esta TerBlanche, All My Children Star, Dead at 51

The soap opera world is in mourning.

Esta TerBlanche, who starred on All My Children in the late '90s and early aughts, died July 18, her rep said. The actress was 51.

"It’s with a heavy heart that my friend and client Esta TerBlanche passed away Thursday of natural causes," her rep, Lisa Rodrigo, announced on Facebook July 20. An autopsy report is pending."

She continued, "I am still processing and in shock. Esta was a beautiful soul in and out. I was proud to know her and work with her. More to come in the days ahead. Thank you for the messages so far. If I haven’t gotten to you, I will soon. May she RIP with the angels that she is."

The cause of the actress' death was not revealed. TerBlanche died in her home in Los Angeles, according to County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner records obtained by E! News. A police spokesperson told E! News that authorities responded to the scene July 19, that there were no signs of foul play and that coroner is investigating the case. 

TerBlanche was born in South Africa and began her acting career there in the '90s, appearing on the bilingual soap opera Egoli: Place of Gold and hosting the children's program K-T.V.

In 1997, she made her debut on All My Children as Hungarian princess Gillian Andrassy, appearing in the role regularly until her character's death in 2001. She reprised her role as a ghost on the show's 2011 series finale, reuniting with Cameron Mathison, who played her character's husband, Ryan Lavery.

“When I came back, it was really emotional for me and Cameron. When we saw each other, we both started bawling,” TerBlanche told Soap Opera Digest in an interview posted July 13. “Back then, we hadn’t seen each other for years, so it was such a touching moment for us.”

TerBlanche, who left the acting world in 2013, had in recent years kept in touch with Mathison.

The current General Hospital star, who often commented on the actress' social media posts, paid tribute to his late costar following news of her death.

Sharing a pic of the two in character at their All My Children wedding, Mathison wrote, "RIP my sweet princess," alongside a red heart emoji.

He also recalled how TerBlanche, an avid animal lover, supported him when his dog Red was battling cancer. The actor's pet died last December.

"Esta helped me last year when Red was sick and paralyzed and I was struggling," he wrote, alongside a selfie of himself with the actress. "One of the sweetest people ever."

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