Veteran actress Shaleen Surtie-Richards has died at the age of 66, her agency confirmed to SowetanLIVE's sister publication TshisaLIVE on Monday morning. 

Details surrounding her death are sketchy at this stage. 

A representative from Elysian Management confirmed the news to TshisaLIVE but said further details would be released after meeting with Surtie-Richard's family. 

The representative added that they were in a state of shock and were still processing the news. 

While Surtie-Richards was known for her decades of work in the performing arts, she qualified as a nursery school teacher and taught children before making her debut as an actress. 

Surtie-Richards 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 such as Fiela Se Kind, Mama Jack, Treurgrond, and Vaselinetjie.

More recently, Surtie-Richards starred in the kykNet series Arendsvlei. 

This is a developing story.