All My Children Star Paul Avery Dies in Fire

Former All My Children star Paul Avery and his wife were killed in a heartbreaking house fire earlier this week.

Avery, 84, and his wife Sheila both died in the early morning hours of Tuesday after their home in Blairstown, , caught fire, according to WFMZ.

New Jersey State Police reportedly received a call about the fire shortly before 1 a.m., and the house was already ablaze by the time firefighters arrived.

According to the Ridge View Echo – a local newspaper that Avery founded – firefighters were able to remove him and his wife from the home, but both were in critical condition.

Emergency responders administered CPR, but both died shortly after being rescued at the scene.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. 

The couple's daughter, Kyle Avery, confirmed her parents' death in an anguished post later on Tuesday. 

Police received a call about a fire at Avery's home just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday, and the house was already ablaze when firefighters arrived. They performed CPR on him and his wife, but both died shortly afterward at the scene