South African actress, Shaleen Surtie-Richards who won the hearts of millions of viewers with her TV and movie roles has passed away.

Details surrounding her death are still unknown.

The 66-year old was a household name as she conquered her role as Ester (Nenna) Willemse on South Africa’s first television soapie, “Egoli: Place of Gold”, she also starred in SABC2’s 7 de Laan, “Villa Rosa”, and “Generations” and hosted her own talk show, “Shaleen”.

Surtie-Richards also brought her versatility to the stage where she performed in various plays, including the one-woman “Shirley Valentine” for which she won a Fleur de Cap award.

Her performances on stages locally and internationally and made important contributions to local arts festivals such as the Suidoosterfees, KKNK and the Grahamstown festival.