Esta TerBlanche, who played Gillian Andrassy on 'All My Children,' dies at 51

Esta TerBlanche, an actress best known for her performance on the long-running soap opera "All My Children," has died. She was 51.

A representative for TerBlanche confirmed her death to USA TODAY on Sunday after it was first announced on Facebook by publicist Lisa Rodrigo.

"I can not believe I am posting this," Rodrigo wrote on Facebook. "It's with a heavy heart that my friend and client Esta TerBlanche passed away Thursday of natural causes. An autopsy report is pending."

The publicist added: "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."

The South African actress played princess Gillian Andrassy on the ABC soap opera beginning in 1997 until the character was killed off in 2001. She also starred on the South African series "Egoli: Place of Gold" and appeared in an episode of "Spin City," per IMDb.

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According to Soap Opera Digest, TerBlanche was a former Miss Teen South Africa.

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In a 2021 interview with Soap Central, TerBlanche — who was born in South Africa's Rustenburg — reflected on the "very scary" experience of moving to the United States to pursue an acting career in America.

"I was terribly scared, and the two weeks before I had to go, I was crying nonstop, thinking, 'Why am I doing this?!' " she said. "I was really questioning myself, like, 'Why am I putting myself through this? Why?!' But I just knew I had a deeper calling, that I had to come."

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TerBlanche's death was another loss for the soap opera community after Doug Sheehan, who played Joe Kelly in more than 200 episodes of "General Hospital," died in June. In January, "All My Children" actor Alec Musser died at age 50, and in May, "General Hospital" star Johnny Wactor was shot and killed in Los Angeles.

Contributing: Alyssa Goldberg, Edward Segarra and Pamela Avila, USA TODAY