Esta TerBlanche, known for her role on the soap opera “All My Children,” passed away on Thursday at her home in North Hollywood. TerBlanche is survived by her ex-husband, André Kock, her goddaughter, Barbie Ashley, and her father and sister.
TerBlanche was 51 years old at her demise. Authorities believe she had been deceased for approximately a day, though the cause of death has not yet been determined.
Her publicist, Lisa Rodrigo, shared the heartbreaking news 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 inside 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.
Lisa Rodrigo
Born on January 7, 1973, in the North West province of South Africa, TerBlanche was crowned Miss Teen South Africa in 1991.
She then launched her acting career, starring in the popular drama “Egoli: Place of Gold” as Bienkie Naudé Hartman from 1992 to 1995.
Esta TerBlanche Estranged Husband André Kock
While much information about Esta’s husband, André Kock, is unavailable online, we know they married in 1997.
However, their marriage did not last long, and after 11 years of togetherness, they parted ways in 2008.
Onscreen Husband Pays Tribute
In 1997, Esta TerBlanche debuted on All My Children as Hungarian princess Gillian Andrassy.
She appeared in the role regularly until her character died in 2001. She reprised her role as a ghost for 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,”
Cameron Mathison
TerBlanche told Soap Opera Digest in an interview posted on July 13, “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 kept in touch with Mathison in recent years.
The current General Hospital star often commented on the actress’ social media posts and paid tribute to his late costar following news of her death.
Sharing a picture 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.”
Cameron Mathison
In Case You Didn’t Know
- TerBlanche moved to the States when she was 23 to pursue acting.
- Her first language was Afrikaans.
- Esta was born on Jan. 7, 1973, in South Africa.
