Paul Avery, known for his roles in Superman and All My Children, tragically died in a house fire with his wife, Sheila, earlier this week.
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Shortly after 12:38 a.m. on June 16, New Jersey State Police and the Blairstown Fire Department responded to a fire at the couple’s Mohican Road home. According to Lehigh Valley Live, the pair was trapped inside.
First responders pulled the victims from the fire, but they later died from their injuries, the outlet reported.
Kyle Avery, the couple’s daughter, confirmed her parents’ death in a Facebook post later that day. “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.”
The cause of the fire hasn’t been released. According to Soap Opera Digest, Paul Avery was 81.
According to the outlet, the character actor left a lasting impression on All My Children fans. In the early 1980s, Avery joined the cast as Hughie, a bartender at Foxy’s, a dive bar in Center City near Pine Valley. In 1981, the character Jenny Gardner, played by Kim Delaney, started working as a waitress at the bar. It was there she crossed paths with Jesse Hubbard (Darnell Williams), igniting their fan-favorite on-screen friendship. Avery held the recurring role for 12 years.
Paul Avery’s Acting Career Included Over 300 Commercials
Per IMDb, Avery played a cameraman in 1978’s Superman and popped up in episodes of Three’s Company, Soap, and Tales from the Dark Side. According to Soap Opera Digest, Avery also appeared in over 300 commercials for brands including AT&T, Odor Eaters, and M&M’s during his 20-year acting career.
In 2023, the Ridge View Echo profiled Paul Avery, detailing his well-lived life. As a teenager, he took up skydiving when it was still a new sport. He later served in the Vietnam War as a helicopter crew chief. He continued to pilot planes as a hobby for decades.
After retiring from acting, Avery pursued journalism, writing for local New Jersey papers and The New York Times. He was also the founding editor of the Ridge View Echo.
Avery, an avid pilot and community volunteer, scaled back his civic engagements in 2018 to care for his wife full-time after her stroke.