Former All My Children actor Paul Avery and his wife Sheila have tragically died following a house fire in Blairstown, New Jersey.
The fire broke out shortly before 1 a.m. Emergency crews rescued the couple from the burning home and performed CPR, but both were later pronounced dead from their injuries.
Avery, best known for playing bartender Hughie on the long-running soap opera, had a diverse life beyond acting. He was a Vietnam War veteran, skydiver, pilot, and later founded a local newspaper, the Ridge View Echo.
His daughter confirmed the heartbreaking news, paying tribute to her parents’ love and devotion, while friends remembered him as an extraordinary and deeply accomplished man.
He and his wife had been married for over 40 years, and in recent years he had been caring for her after she suffered a stroke in 2018. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.