'All My Children' star Esta TerBlanche's cause of death revealed

A cause of death has been revealed for actress Esta TerBlanche, the late "All My Children" star who died last summer at the age of 51.

TerBlanche died of an intracranial hemorrhage, according to online records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner reviewed by USA TODAY. The hemorrhage was caused by blunt force from a traumatic head injury, which is listed as the actress's secondary cause of death.

The manner of death was ruled accidental. The medical examiner added in a press release that TerBlanche's head injury was "likely due to a ground level fall."

USA TODAY reached out to representatives for TerBlanche for comment.

An intracranial hemorrhage, also known as a "brain bleed," is a type of stroke that occurs when a blood vessel ruptures or leaks and causes blood to pool between a person's brain and skull, according to Cleveland Clinic. The accumulation of blood creates pressure within the brain and deprives the organ of oxygen.

Esta TerBlanche dies: Actress who played Gillian Andrassy on 'All My Children' was 51

Falls and traumatic injuries are common causes of intracranial hemorrhage, according to Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, individuals suffering from unmanaged high blood pressure are also at an increased risk for the condition.

TerBlanche died on July 19, 2024. The following day, the actress's publicist Lisa Rodrigo took to Facebook to mourn her loss, writing, "Esta was a beautiful soul in and out. I was proud to know her and work with her."

TerBlanche was best known for her role as Princess Gillian Andrassy on "All My Children." The South African actress appeared on the ABC soap opera from 1997 until her 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," according to TerBlanche's IMDb page.

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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 expand her acting career.

"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."

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Esta TerBlanche cause of death: Actress died of brain hemorrhage