American Actor Paul Avery, Wife Die In House Fire

June 19 () — American actor, Paul Avery, and his wife, Sheila, have died in a house fire at their home in Blairstown, New Jersey.

Emergency services responded shortly after 12:38 a.m. on Tuesday, June 16, after the house was found fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters and police rescued the couple, but they were unconscious and critically injured. They later died from their injuries.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Their 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 Avery was known for playing Hughie on the soap opera “All My Children” for 12 years, beginning in the 1980s. He also appeared in “Superman” (1978), “Three’s Company”, “Soap, and Tales from the Darkside.”

After his acting career, he worked for The New York Times and later co-founded and served as executive editor of the “Ridge View Echo”, a local newspaper in New Jersey.

He was also a Vietnam War veteran, where he served as a helicopter crew chief, and later took part in community work in New Jersey.

In later years, he continued flying as a pilot and hobbyist.