Avery, who played bartender Hughie on 'All My Children' for 12 years, died alongside his wife Sheila after a fire at their Blairstown home
Credit: Sheila Avery/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- Paul Avery and his wife Sheila Avery died after a house fire in Blairstown, N.J.
- The couple were found unconscious inside their home and died after firefighters rescued them and performed CPR, according to reports
- Avery was best known for playing Hughie, the bartender at Foxy’s, on All My Children and later served as executive editor of the Ridge View Echo newspaper
Paul Avery, the actor best known for his longtime role on All My Children, and his wife Sheila Avery have died following a house fire in New Jersey. He was 81.
The couple died after the fire broke out in their home in Blairstown, N.J., in the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 16, according to multiple reports, including WFMZ and the Ridge View Echo.
New Jersey State Police responded to a report of a residential fire with possible entrapment shortly before 1 a.m, per the Ridge View Echo. When troopers arrived, the home on Mohican Road was in flames.
Firefighters entered the residence and discovered two people in critical condition. Paul and Sheila were found unconscious and treated with CPR, but both died shortly after being rescued from the home, according to the outlet.
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The fire was later declared under control at 1:03 a.m. At this time, the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
On Tuesday, June 16, the couple’s daughter, Kyle Avery, confirmed their deaths in a Facebook post.
“I’m devastated to share that our parents, Paul and Sheila Garry Avery, passed away early this morning,” she wrote. “We loved them so much, and they loved us so much, and nobody ever had to wonder if that was so. We’re grateful to the Blairstown Fire Department for their efforts. Service plans to follow.”
Paul kicked off his career in the 1970s and built a decades-long résumé across television, film and advertising. He appeared as a TV cameraman in 1978’s Superman before going on to portray Hughie, the bartender at Foxy’s, on All My Children.
He remained on the long-running soap opera for 12 years and also appeared in more than 300 commercials, according to Soap Opera Digest.
Outside of acting, Paul was deeply involved in journalism and community life. He served as executive editor of the Ridge View Echo and was also a veteran of the United States Armed Forces and pilot, per WFMZ.
Joe Phalon, an employee at the Ridge View Echo, remembered Paul as someone whose life experiences made a lasting impression on those around him.
“I got a call saying what happened, and I just couldn’t believe it,” Phalon told WFMZ. “I always like to call Paul the most interesting man in the world, because he was when you consider everything he’s done in his life. Acting, skydiving, Vietnam veteran, started a newspaper.”
Phalon added that Avery’s death is a significant loss for his community.
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“His death is going to leave a real void in this community,” he told the outlet. “Not just Blairstown, but the towns around as well. I think we’ll really miss him, and I think it’s going to become more apparent over time.”
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