Paul Avery’s All My Children dates back to the early 1980s, when he began playing Hughie, the bartender at Foxy’s. Decades after that television work, the actor’s name returned to the headlines for a very different reason.
On June 16, 2026, Avery and his wife, Sheila Garry Avery, died after a house fire at their home on Mohican Road in Blairstown, New Jersey. Firefighters found the couple unconscious inside the burning property and brought them out in critical condition. Both died shortly afterward despite emergency treatment. The cause of the blaze remained under investigation in the latest public reports reviewed for this story. (Ridge View Echo)
The tragedy was confirmed by the couple’s daughter, Kyle Avery, who shared a Facebook tribute on the same day. She wrote that her parents had loved each other and their family deeply and thanked the Blairstown Fire Department for its efforts. (EW.com)
How the Paul Avery Story Began
Paul Lee Avery was born on October 8, 1941, in Indianapolis, Indiana. His obituary says he attended Purdue University and initially studied engineering before moving into literature. He later served in the U.S. National Guard and spent a year as a helicopter crew chief during the Vietnam War. After returning home, he pursued acting, beginning with community theater before working in Los Angeles and New York. (Legacy.com)
His screen career included television appearances, commercials and film work. He was credited as a TV cameraman in the 1978 Superman, and also appeared in Three’s Company, Soap and Tales from the Darkside. The Television Academy independently records his work in Superman, Soap, ABC Weekend Specials and Three’s Company. (Television Academy)
But for soap-opera viewers, Paul Avery and All My Children remain particularly connected through his role as Hughie.
Paul Avery All My Children
Avery joined All My Children in 1981 as Hughie, the bartender at Foxy’s, a bar in Center City within the show’s fictional world. Soap Opera Digest describes the part as a recurring role that lasted 12 years. The magazine also reported that Avery’s screen career included more than 300 commercials. (Soap Opera Digest)
There is an important database discrepancy worth noting. Entertainment Weekly refers to Avery as appearing on two All My Children episodes, while IMDb currently lists Hughie across the 1981–1988 period with two credited episodes. At the same time, Avery’s obituary and Soap Opera Digest describe a 12-year recurring association with the soap. The discrepancy appears to reflect differences in episode-credit databases rather than evidence that his role lasted only two years. (EW.com)
His broader acting résumé also included a memorable small part in Superman. According to his obituary, he made more than 300 commercials during approximately 20 years as a professional actor. (Legacy.com)
A Timeline of the Major Developments
October 8, 1941: Paul Lee Avery was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Legacy.com)
1970s: Avery moved into professional acting following community-theater work and eventually worked in productions and screen roles on both coasts. (Legacy.com)
1978: He appeared as a TV cameraman in Superman. (IMDb)
1981: Avery began portraying Hughie on All My Children. Soap Opera Digest says the recurring role continued for 12 years. (Soap Opera Digest)
1980s: Alongside All My Children, Avery appeared in television programs including Three’s Company and Soap. (Soap Opera Digest)
Early 1990s: According to his obituary, Avery eventually stopped commuting to New York for acting work and turned more of his attention toward life in Blairstown. (Legacy.com)
2018: He stepped away from the Blairstown Township Committee after his wife suffered a stroke, according to his 2023 profile in the Ridge View Echo. He subsequently became her full-time caregiver. (Ridge View Echo)
June 16, 2026: A fire engulfed the couple’s Blairstown home. Firefighters rescued Paul and Sheila in critical condition, but both died shortly afterward. The fire was declared under control at 1:03 a.m. (Ridge View Echo)
June 18, 2026: Newbaker Funeral Home’s obituary was published through Legacy, providing extensive biographical details about both Paul and Sheila. (Legacy.com)
July 7, 2026: The Blairstown Township Committee held a moment of silence and publicly honored Paul and Sheila for their long involvement in the local community. (Ridge View Echo)
What Happened to Paul Avery and Sheila Avery?
The fire occurred shortly after 12:38 a.m. on June 16, according to reports citing New Jersey State Police. When authorities arrived, the residence was fully engulfed. Firefighters entered the home, rescued the couple and performed CPR, but neither survived. (Us)
The exact cause of the fire has not been publicly established in the reporting reviewed for this article. Authorities initially said the investigation was ongoing, and later entertainment coverage continued to describe the cause as under investigation. There is no basis in the available reporting to assign a cause or speculate about how the blaze started. (Us)
Paul Avery’s Life After Hollywood
Avery’s later life was much broader than his acting credits suggest. After stepping away from regular acting, he became heavily involved in Blairstown. His obituary credits him with opening the bookstore Cabbages & Kings, editing the Blairstown Press, creating the Warren County Companion magazine and helping establish the Ridge View Echo. He also served on the township committee and remained involved with community organizations. (Legacy.com)
He was also an experienced pilot and skydiver. The obituary says he flew gliders and was one of the earliest licensed skydivers in the United States. The Ridge View Echo similarly described him as a Vietnam veteran, helicopter pilot and longtime local volunteer. (Legacy.com)
His wife Sheila had her own career and community legacy. She was a registered nurse and later worked in counseling and advocacy for survivors of abuse and sexual assault, including through organizations in New Jersey. The couple had been married for 42 years. (Legacy.com)
A Family Remembering Paul Avery
Kyle Avery’s June 16 message became the family’s first public confirmation of the deaths. Her words focused less on her father’s television career and more on the family’s close bond, ending with gratitude toward the firefighters who responded to the blaze. (EW.com)
Friends and colleagues also remembered Avery for the many different lives he seemed to lead: actor, journalist, pilot, veteran, publisher and community volunteer. Joe Phalon, a colleague at the Ridge View Echo, told WFMZ that Avery’s death would leave a void in Blairstown and neighboring communities. (Global News)
One detail that caused confusion in early coverage is Avery’s age. Several June reports described him as 81, but his funeral-home obituary gives his birth date as October 8, 1941. That date makes him 84 at the time of his death on June 16, 2026, and the Los Angeles Times also reported his age as 84. The earlier age appears to have carried over from a 2023 Ridge View Echo profile that described him as 81 at that time. (Legacy.com)
The actor is remembered primarily for playing Hughie, the bartender at Foxy’s, during a long recurring association with the ABC soap. Yet his post-acting years became just as significant, particularly through journalism, public service and his life in Blairstown.
Paul Avery and Sheila Avery died together in the June 16, 2026, house fire. As of the latest information reviewed for this article, the cause of the blaze has not been publicly determined. Their family and the Blairstown community have since focused on remembering a couple whose lives extended well beyond Avery’s television career. (Ridge View Echo)
Source
- https://ew.com/all-my-children-actor-paul-avery-wife-sheila-killed-in-house-fire-12002197
- https://ridgeviewecho.com/2026/06/16/paul-and-shiela-avery-perish-in-early-morning-blairstown-house-fire/
- https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/-avery-obituary
- https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/all-my-children-alum-killed-in-house-fire/
- https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2026-06-22/all-my-children-star-paul-avery-wife-sheila-killed-in-house-fire
- https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/paul-avery
- https://ridgeviewecho.com/2026/07/07/blairstown-township-committee-reckons-with-budget-cuts-as-amended-budget-is-adopted/
