Esta TerBlanche has died at the age of 51

Esta's manager, Annie Spoliansky confirmed the sad news.

She told People magazine in a statement: "We are deeply saddened by this news. As for a personal statement, I'd like to say that Esta was such a kind, loving, giving, and caring person.

"She cared so deeply for all people and animals.

"She had squirrels she fed and looked after daily, her two cats and recent kittens that she cared for as her own children.

"Esta was never anything but generous and lovely to me, and I'm grateful to have known her for the time that I did, and devastated to learn of her passing."

Even though her character was killed off in 'All My Children', Esta made a big comeback as a ghost during the show's last episodes after ABC announced it would be cancelling the long-running series in 2011, and she admitted it was a "really emotional" moment for herself and co-star Cameron Mathison.

Speaking about her TV comeback, she previously told Soap Opera Digest: "When I came back, it was really emotional for me and Cameron. 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."

After her stint on 'All My Children' she returned to South Africa and opened a spa.

She also worked with filmmaker Michael Kastenbaum on documentaries and hosted TV shows like 'Supermodel' and 'Carte Blanche'.