Paul Avery, the actor remembered by daytime TV fans for playing Hughie on All My Children, has died alongside his wife, Sheila Avery, after a house fire in New Jersey. He was 81.
People reported that the couple died after a fire broke out early Tuesday, June 16, at their home in Blairstown.
According to the local nonprofit newsroom Ridge View Echo, New Jersey State Police responded to a residential fire with possible entrapment shortly before 1 a.m. When troopers arrived, the home on Mohican Road was in flames.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Couple Were Found Unconscious Inside the Home
Firefighters entered the burning house just before 1 a.m. and brought two people out in critical condition, Ridge View Echo reported. Paul and Sheila were found unconscious and treated with CPR after being rescued, but both died shortly afterward.
The fire was declared under control at 1:03 a.m. Ridge View Echo reported that a medevac was placed on standby around the same time.
Avery Was Known to Soap Fans as Hughie
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Avery was best known for playing Hughie, the bartender at Foxy’s, on All My Children. People reported that he remained on the long-running ABC soap opera for 12 years.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Avery’s stint on the soap began in 1981 and that Hughie appeared during a period when major Pine Valley relationships and rivalries played out around Foxy’s.
His screen career also included a small role in 1978’s Superman. People reported that Avery appeared as a TV cameraman in the film, while Entertainment Weekly noted that his other credits included Three’s Company, Stanley and Tales from the Darkside.
His Life Extended Far Beyond Acting
Avery’s life in Blairstown became as much a part of his story as his acting career. Ridge View Echo reported that he was a former Blairstown committeeman, longtime Rotarian, newspaper editor, Vietnam veteran and helicopter pilot.
The outlet also reported that Avery was one of the founders of Ridge View Echo. People described him as the paper’s executive editor.
The Independent reported that Avery had also worked as a journalist in New Jersey, including writing film reviews for the New Jersey Herald, working as a beat reporter for the Gazette in Hackettstown and later serving as founding executive editor of Ridge View Echo.
Ridge View Echo reported that Avery had spent the past few years caring for Sheila while continuing to serve the community.
Their Daughter Confirmed the Deaths
The couple’s daughter, Kyle Avery, confirmed the deaths in a Facebook post, according to People. “We loved them so much, and they loved us so much,” she wrote in part, while thanking the Blairstown Fire Department for its efforts. The Independent reported that Paul and Sheila Avery are survived by their daughters, Parker and Kyle, and their son, Paul.
Service plans had not been announced in the initial reports. Local officials have not released a cause for the fire.