Soap Opera Actress Dies of Cancer: Michelle Botes Was 62

South African actress Michelle Botes, best known for her portrayal of the villainous Cherel de Villiers-Haines in Isidingo, has died. Botes passed away in Cape Town on Saturday, Dec. 21 following a battle with advanced multiple myeloma, a rare and incurable form of blood cancer, her talent agency, Oh Talent Management, confirmed to News24. She was 62.

Botes was diagnosed with advanced multiple myeloma, which affects plasma cells in the bone marrow, per Mayo Clinic, in July 2022, though she did not publicly reveal her diagnosis until recently. Speaking with the Afrikaans magazine Bruis, the actress said she underwent chemotherapy, steroids, and, a stem cell transplant, but in October, she was informed by her doctors her cancer levels were “rising alarmingly quickly.” She was given two to three months to live.

“I can go in two months – maybe it is my time… Whatever awaits me, I am ready,” she told the outlet. “I have experienced lovely times with my children and their companions over the past five months. Life is so contradictory; I am dying but everywhere in nature there are signs of new life. This gives me joy and peace.”

Botes is a celebrated Sotuh African actress best known for her roles on soap operas. Her portrayal of Cherel de Villiers-Haines in the SABC3 soap Isidingo earned her Safta nominations for Best Actress in a TV soap in 2006, 2007, and 2012. She is also well-remembered for her portrayal of Angelique Price in Legacy, a role that won her a Golden Horn for Best Supporting Actress in a Telenovela in 2021 and Best Actress in a Telenovela in 2023.

Botes also starred as Princess Gobbler in 1994’s Arende, Ingrid Louw-Koster in 2009’s Binnelanders, Tyra in Netflix’s 2022 original drama Jewel, and Elzabe in 2022’s Aangetroud, per her IMDb profile. Her other acting credits include No Hero, Triptiek, Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, and Onder Draai die Duiwel Rond …, among numerous others.

“We are very saddened by the news. She was an icon of our industry,” her agent Suzi Howes told News24. “Michelle had grace and a beautiful spirit. She will be greatly missed. Sending our deepest sympathies and condolences to her family and loved ones.”

Paying tribute to her on X, South African politician Mmusi Maimane said, “we have lost an icon. Thank you to Michelle Botes for all your commitment and passion over the years. Your characters were a household staple and you brought joy to all those who followed your work over the years. Rest in peace.”

Botes is survived by her two children, Cara and Daniel, who she shares with ex-husband Ian Roberts.