The South African actress Esta Terblanche known for her roles of Bienkie Naudé in Egoli on M-Net (DStv 101) and Princess Gillian Andrassy on All My Children seen on SABC3 was found dead in her Los Angeles home on Friday. She was 51.
On Saturday evening former colleagues of hers confirmed to TVwithThinus that the actress had died, who left South Africa in 1996 to star in the American daytime soap.
According to the Los Angeles County coroner's office a 51-year old woman was found dead at her residence on Friday.
An autopsy is scheduled for the cause of death.
Her body was found by police in her North Hollywood home after workers couldn't contact her for a number of days and alerted law enforcement.
Police contacted her younger brother Henko who lives in New York, who in turn contacted her family in South Africa about her death.
Burgert Muller, former executive producer of Egoli produced by Franz Marx for M-Net, told me "It's with great shock that I hear the news of Esta. As a young woman in Egoli she was a light in our lives".
"She was the epitome of professionalism, always well prepared and brought joy to set. She was beloved under her colleagues and we were very proud of her when she left to go to America and found fame there with All My Children."
Henry Mylne, former Egoli director who worked from the outset with Esta, told TVwithThinus that "When Franz Marx started Egoli Esta was just finished with matric. She still had to write her last subject after she heard that she had secured the role of Bienkie".
"This young woman had no professional training and she had to portray a main role opposite formidable actors like Christine Basson, Hennie Smit, Brumilda van Rensburg and Sandra Prinsloo."
"Esta was thrown in at the deep end. I helped her a lot with the very difficult task and she absolutely kept up. It was a pure joy to work with her. Besides her acting talent she was incredibly beautiful - when you looked back at scenes you'd often just stare for seconds before listening to the dialogue."
"Around 1996 she decided to go try her luck and further her career overseas and got cast in All My Children. On the Egoli set she was wonderful and I can't remember a single day that anyone had an issue with her or that she was unprofessional."
Henry Mylne says Esta TerBlanche was incredibly popular in South Africa with viewers, and then again with All My Children."
"She loved cats and also had squirrels years ago. She also kept prairie dogs and would always post images of her with all kinds of animals."
Esta TerBlanche still visited South Africa two weeks ago and visited her aunt also named Esta, as well as her dad for a week (her mother had already passed away) and her other brother before she returned to Los Angeles.
In 1991 Esta TerBlanche was crowned Miss Teen South Africa after which she got the Egoli role of Beatrice "Bienkie" Naudé from 1992 where she remained until 1995.
She then moved to America and appeared in All My Children from 1997 until 2001 when she asked for her character to be written off the show. She briefly returned in 2011 for the All My Children finale.
She was married to Andre de Kock from 1997 to 2008 who was a production assistant on Egoli and after that was in a relationship with fellow South African actor Neil Sandilands that ended several years ago.
Esta Terblanche made appearances on M-Net's youth strand K-TV, had a role in the film Three Thieves and a Wedding and appeared in episodes of TV series like Spin City and The Syndicate.
Lisa Rodrigo, Esta TerBlanche's American publicist, wrote on Facebook: "I can not believe I am posting this. It's with a heavy heart that my friend and client Esta TerBlanche passed away Thursday of natural causes."
"An autopsy report is pending. 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."
