All My Children Alum Paul Avery and Wife Sheila Killed in House Fire

All My Children alum Paul Avery and his wife, Sheila Garry Avery, were killed in a house fire at their home in Blairstown Township, New Jersey on June 16. The deaths were confirmed by their daughter Kyle through a Facebook post, in which she expressed her devastation and thanked the Blairstown Fire Department for their efforts.

Avery, 81, had a multifaceted career spanning entertainment, journalism, and community service. In the early 1980s, he joined the cast of All My Children as Hughie, a bartender at the fictional dive bar Foxy's located in Center City. He maintained this recurring role for 12 years, appearing in scenes that established a central friendship between characters Jenny Gardner (played by Kim Delaney) and Jesse Hubbard (played by Darnell Williams). Beyond his daytime television work, Avery appeared as a cameraman in the 1978 film Superman and in episodes of Three's Company and Soap. Over his 20-year acting career, he appeared in more than 300 commercials for major brands including AT&T, Odor Eaters, and M&M, where he provided the voice of the yellow M&M character.

Outside of entertainment, Avery pursued a remarkable range of personal interests and professional endeavors. As a teenager, he took up skydiving during its early development as a sport. He served in the Vietnam War as a helicopter crew chief and later maintained an aviation hobby for decades. Following his retirement from acting, he transitioned to journalism, writing for local New Jersey newspapers and The New York Times before founding the Ridge View Echo. In 2018, he stepped back from his civic volunteer work to become the full-time caregiver for his wife after she suffered a stroke.

Avery is survived by three children: daughters Parker and Kyle, and a son Paul, along with other family members.