Esta TerBlanche’s cause of death has been revealed.
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner determined that the All My Children alum, who died at the age of 51 in July, suffered from an intracranial hemorrhage, according to a press release. The bleed was “due to blunt force traumatic head injury likely due to a ground level fall” and ruled the death as an accident.
More details were also revealed in the release, which stated that TerBlanche had been found unresponsive in her home on July 19 at paramedics pronounced her dead shortly after 11 a.m. that day.
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TerBlanche’s manager Annie Spoliansky confirmed her death in a statement to PEOPLE on July 21.
“We are deeply saddened by this news,” she wrote. “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 added. “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,” the statement concluded.
Lisa Rodrigo, TerBlanche’s publicist, also remembered the late actress in a statement to PEOPLE at the time.
“I am heartbroken upon learning about Esta’s death,” Rodrigo said. “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.”
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The former soap opera star was born in South Africa on Jan. 7, 1973 and got her start playing Bienkie Naudé Hartman on Egoli: Place of Gold, a popular drama in the country. She later landed her role as Gillian Andrassy Lavery on All My Children, which she held from 1997 until 2001.
Her on-screen husband, Ryan Lavery, was played by Cameron Mathison, who paid tribute to TerBlanche on his Instagram Stories in July.
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“RIP my Sweet Princess,” he wrote in tribute over a photo of the pair in character. He then posted another image of the TV couple alongside broken heart emojis.
“Esta helped me last year when Red was sick and paralyzed and I was struggling,” he wrote over another more recent selfie of the pair. “One of the sweetest people ever.”
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