All My Children Alum Killed in House Fire
All My Children alum Paul Avery and his wife, Sheila, were killed in a tragic fire at their home in Blairstown Township, New Jersey on June 16.
Remembering Paul Avery
The news was confirmed on Facebook by their daughter, Kyle, who wrote, “I’m devastated to share that our parents, Paul and Sheila Garry Avery, passed away early this morning. 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.”
In the early 1980s, Avery joined the cast of AMC as Hughie, a bartender at Foxy’s. Foxy’s was a dive bar located in Center City, a less posh neighbor of Pine Valley, and heroine Jenny Gardner (Kim Delaney) took a job waiting tables at the watering hole in 1981. It was there that she first met Jesse Hubbard (Darnell Williams), kicking off the unlikely duo’s iconic friendship. Avery spent 12 years in the recurring role.
In addition to his daytime work, Avery played a cameraman in the 1978 film Superman and appeared in episodes of Three’s Company and Soap. In his 20 years as a professional actor, he appeared in over 300 commercials for name brands including AT&T, Odor Eaters and M&M (he voiced the yellow M&M).
Avery led a fascinating life. As a teenager, he took up skydiving, then a developing sport. He went on to serve in the Vietnam war as a helicopter crew chief and continued to pilot planes as a hobby for decades. When he retired from acting, he pivoted to journalism, working for local papers in New Jersey as well as for The New York Times before becoming the founding editor of the Ridge View Echo. Also an avid pilot and community volunteer, Avery pulled back on his civic contributions in 2018 to become his wife’s full-time caregiver after she suffered a stroke.
Avery was 81 at the time of his passing.
Avery is survived by daughters Parker and Kyle and a son, Paul, and other family members. Soap Opera Digest sends its deepest condolences to those who loved him.
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