Paul Avery and his wife, Sheila Avery, died in a house fire at their home in New Jersey, and their daughter, Kyle Avery, said Tuesday, June 16, that the couple passed away early that morning. He was 84.

Kyle said she was devastated to share the news and said the family loved her parents deeply. She also thanked the Blairstown Fire Department for its efforts, while the cause of the fire was not immediately disclosed.

For readers who knew Avery as a television figure, the loss reaches back through a career that stretched across two decades in Hollywood. He had guest roles in Soap and Three's Company, a small part in the original Superman movie in 1978, and later a recurring role as Hughie the bartender in All My Children.

His life on screen was only part of the story. In later years, Avery worked as executive editor of the Ridge View Echo online newspaper, and in a 2023 profile he said the great thing about living in a small town is that you can actively participate in it.

That same period also reflected how widely he had lived: he was a member of the United States National Guard, served for a year as a helicopter crew chief in the Vietnam War, and was an avid skydiver and motorcyclist. He and Sheila Avery had two daughters, Kyle and Parker, who are now left to carry the weight of a sudden loss that was made public before any explanation for the fire itself.

Service plans are expected to follow, but for now the unanswered question is the one that hangs over the house fire in New Jersey: what caused it.