‘Sy was almal se tannie’ — Tributes pour in for Shaleen Surtie-Richards

South Africans have taken to social media platforms to express their devastation after learning the heartbreaking news that veteran and much-loved actress Shaleen Surtie-Richards has died, aged 66.

Shaleen’s agency confirmed her death to TshisaLIVE on Monday morning.  Details surrounding her death are sketchy at this stage. 

A representative from Elysian Management confirmed the news to TshisaLIVE and said further details would be released after meeting with Surtie-Richards’ family.

The representative said hey were in a state of shock and were processing the news. 

The actress’ fans flooded social media with messages of condolence for Shaleen’s family, many remembering their favourite role she played over the years on TV and in theatre and recalling her brilliance as an actress.

“This is incredibly sad news! She was brilliant in Swirl, the last film I saw her in,” said one fan.

“Legendary actresses who weren’ t obsessed with seeking fame and approval from the masses. People who woke up because they were always inspired to entertain,” said another fan.

“ I know it’s everyone’s ultimate destination, but why does it feel like people we know and the frequency of ‘RIP’ is part of life manje. Rest in peace Shaleen,” said a tweep.

Here are other reactions below:

While Shaleen was known for her decades of work in the performing arts, she qualified as a nursery schoolteacher and taught children before making her debut as an actress. 

She is best known for her role in the long-running hit M-Net series Egoli: Place of Gold as Ester “Nenna” Willemse. She also starred in hit films including Fiela se Kind, Mama Jack, Treurgrond and Vaselinetjie.

More recently, she starred in the kykNet series Arendsvlei.