Esta TerBlanche Dies: ‘All My Children’ Alum Was 51

Dan Clarendon July 21, 2024, 11:56 am

Esta TerBlanche of 'All My Children' — Robert Milazzo/American Broadcasting Company/Courtesy: Everett Collection

Esta TerBlanche, who played Gillian Andrassy on All My Children, has died at age 51.

Barbie Ashley, TerBlanche’s goddaughter, told TMZ that the soap star died unexpectedly on Thursday, July 18, at home in North Hollywood. TerBlanche’s cause of death is under investigation, as the actor’s representative said to the site. Medical personnel believe TerBlanche had been dead for around one day before she was found, according to TMZ.

After winning Miss Teen South Africa in 1991, TerBlanche kicked off an acting career that included her gig as Gillian, a troublesome Hungarian princess, on All My Children. TerBlanche first appeared on the ABC daytime drama in 1997 and stayed until 2001, when she left the cast to return to South Africa, according to Soaps in Depth.

All My Children ultimately killed off Gillian, with an assassin shooting the princess in a case of mistaken identity. Ryan Lavery (Cameron Mathison), Gillian’s husband, took her off life support, and other deceased All My Children characters ushered her into the afterlife.

Cameron Mathison as Ryan Lavery and Esta TerBlanche as Gillian Andrassy on 'All My Children'

Ann Limongello/American Broadcasting Company/Courtesy: Everett Collection

“The people I worked with [on All My Children] were all so wonderful,” TerBlanche told Soap Opera Digest in an interview posted on July 13. “It was such a privilege to be on the show. Cameron was just phenomenal, and I feel so blessed that I was able to work with him. He really made every day just wonderful. It was just magical. I could not have been luckier.”

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TerBlanche reprised her role as Gillian, in ghost form, as All My Children wrapped up its four-decade run on ABC in 2011.

“When I came back, it was really emotional for me and Cameron,” TerBlanche said. “When we saw each other, we both started bawling. Back then, we hadn’t seen each other for years, so it was such a touching moment for us.”

After leaving AMC, TerBlanche opened a spa, worked on several documentaries, hosted TV shows, and got involved in the cancer foundation Create Your Breakthrough, according to Soap Opera Digest.

In her interview with that site, posted online less than a week before her death, TerBlanche expressed a desire to return to her soap roots. “It’s definitely something I would like to get back into,” she said.