‘One Tree Hill’ actor Paul Teal dies at 35 after battling cancer

Actor Paul Teal.
| Photo Credit: @paulteal/Instagram

Paul Teal, a TV and theatre actor best known for his role in One Tree Hill, has passed away at the age of 35 in Raleigh, North Carolina, as reported by TMZ. Teal’s representative confirmed that he died on Friday, revealing that the actor was suffering from cancer.

Emilia Torello, Teal’s partner, shared with TMZ that he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in April. Torello took to her Instagram account to post an emotional tribute, writing, “You were my soulmate, my soon-to-be-husband, my rock, and my future. You were taken too soon, in a battle that you fought bravely without fail. While a part of me died with you, I promise to fight to find joy in life as hard as you fought to live every single day.”

Teal gained recognition for his seven-episode role as Josh on One Tree Hill. His character’s storyline included pursuing Alex, played by Jana Kramer, before revealing his true identity as a gay man.

Bethany Joy Lenz, Teal’s co-star and director on One Tree Hill, also took to Instagram to share an emotional post about her friend. She recalled their first meeting during a 2006 theatre production of The Notebook.

“I worked closely with Paul for months when he played Noah in my and Ron Aniello musical production of The Notebook in 2006. He was shy and funny and so so comfortable on stage. Wow. Like his second skin. You couldn’t take your eyes off him,” she wrote.

Lenz added, “Later, I was giddy to be directing an episode of One Tree Hill where I’d get to cast a new recurring character, Josh—the sleazy movie star. With his self-effacing sense of humour and willingness to dive fully into any character, Paul was perfect for the part. He was a joy to work with in any environment and so generous.”

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In addition to One Tree Hill, Teal appeared in Dynasty, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, USS Christmas, Fear Street Part 2: 1978, Deep Water, and Descendants: The Rise of Red. Despite battling cancer, he completed filming for the upcoming Starz series The Hunting Wives. Teal was also a celebrated stage actor, performing leading roles in productions like Newsies, Sweeney Todd, and Rent at theatres across the country.