All My Children Vet Esta TerBlanche’s Cause of Death Revealed

All My Children alum Esta TerBlanche’s cause of death has been revealed, just over six months after she died last July.

According to the Los Angeles County medical examiner, as reported by TMZ, TerBlanche died of an intracranial hemorrhage, also known as a brain bleed. The medical examiner’s office believes TerBlanche likely suffered a ground-level fall in her home, where she had initially been found unresponsive, and her death has thus been ruled an accident.

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The actress, who was best known for her role as Gillian Andrassy in ABC’s All My Children, died July 19, 2024, at the age of 51.

“I am heartbroken upon learning about Esta’s death,” TerBlanche’s publicist said in a statement at the time. “She was and always will be a beautiful soul who I will miss every day. I am proud to have known her and call her not only a client but a friend.”

TerBlanche’s career kicked off in 1991 when she was crowned Miss Teen South Africa. She went on to play Beatrice “Bienkie” Naudé Hartman in Egoli: Place of Gold, the first South African soap opera. The series, which ran from 1992 until its cancellation in 2013, followed the day-to-day lives of families living in Johannesburg, nicknamed the City of Gold. TerBlanche ultimately exited the series in 1995.

In 1997, TerBlanche joined the All My Children cast, playing Gillian, who was sent to live in Pine Valley after embarrassing her family with her romantic transgressions. Her character later met her untimely demise after a case of mistaken identity during an assassination attempt. Though she initially survived the shooting, she was ultimately taken off life support and killed off the show.

TerBlanche did briefly return to All My Children ahead of its series finale, when Gillian’s ghost made an appearance in a 2011 episode. The comeback reunited TerBlanche with her longtime on-screen love interest Cameron Mathison (as Ryan Lavery), which she said was a sentimental experience in a Soap Opera Digest interview shortly before she died.

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“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.”

Mathison later paid tribute to TerBlanche in a series of Instagram stories. The first read, “RIP my sweet princess” atop a photo of the pair on set. In another story, he added, “Esta helped me last year when [my dog] Red was sick and paralyzed and I was struggling. One of the sweetest people ever.”

TerBlanche’s other acting credits included K-T.V., Three Thieves and a Wedding, The Syndicate and Spin City.

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