Paul Teal, One Tree Hill Actor, Dead at 35

Actor Paul Teal died at the age of 35 after fighting cancer on Friday, November 15, confirms his partner Emilia Torello on Instagram. He was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer in April, per TMZ. Torello shared a photo of them together on Sunday, remembering their relationship in the caption, “Paul, you were my soulmate, my soon-to-be-husband, my rock, and my future. You filled my lungs with laughter, my stomach with butterflies, and my heart with love. You were taken too soon, in a battle that you fought bravely without fail.” On One Tree Hill, Teal played Josh Avery, a closeted actor who starred in Julian Baker and Alex Dupre’s film Seven Dreams ‘Til Tuesday. After his time as Josh during season seven, he had supporting roles on Dynasty, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, The Staircase, USS Christmas, and Descendants: The Rise of Red. He filmed his final role for Starz’s The Hunting Wives while undergoing treatment.

His former One Tree Hill co-stars paid tribute to the late actor on social media. Sophia Bush wrote on Instagram Stories on Monday afternoon, recalling his time on the show: “Incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Paul Teal. We were just starting to watch his OTH episodes on @dramaqueensoth and he’s such a talent.” Bethany Joy Lenz knew Teal more intimately as she directed him in her adaptation of a musical version of The Notebook in 2006 before he was cast in One Tree Hill. “He was shy and funny and so so comfortable on stage. Wow. Like his second skin,” Lenz remembered before she eventually helped get him cast on the show for a six-episode arc as Josh. “With his self-effacing sense of humor 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.”