‘One Tree Hill’ star Paul Teal’s cause of death, confirmed

One Tree Hill alum Paul Teal has passed away after succumbing to a months-long battle with cancer at the age of just 35.  The actor’s death was confirmed by his fiancée, Emilia Torello, on Instagram over the weekend, saying he died last Friday. 

“The most thoughtful, inspiring, driven, self-disciplined, loving man passed away on Friday, November 15, 2024,” Torello wrote in her caption for a black-and-white photo showing her planting a kiss on her late partner’s cheek. 

“Paul, 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,” she continued. Emilia wrapped up her message by saying that she was the “luckiest person” as she was able to call him “mine.” She also promised Teal that she would strive to be happy and fight to live even though a part of her already died with him.

Paul’s wife-to-be didn’t disclose the specifics of his cause of death in her Instagram post, but she exclusively told TMZ that he was suffering from stage 4 neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer before his passing. He was reportedly diagnosed with the condition in April. 

According to the American Cancer Society, Teal’s condition, technically called pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET), is a rare type of cancer that forms in the pancreas. Despite its rarity, with only 2% of pancreatic cancer cases accounting for it, it is more manageable and even has a better prognosis than the more common type of pancreatic cancer. 

However, as with other types of cancer, the survival rate for PNET mostly depends on the stage of the condition during diagnosis. In the actor’s case, he already had stage 4, which meant his cancer had reached other parts of his body.

Tributes poured in from Paul’s costars through the years following the confirmation of his death. One of them was from his One Tree Hill co-actor Bethany Joy Lenz, who penned a lengthy and meaningful post on Instagram about her working experience and friendship with the late actor. “My heart is heavy. Paul Teal was the kind of guy who lit up a room without trying. His bright smile, infectious laugh, and kind heart made you want to be near him,” a portion of her message read. 

Teal is mostly known for his seven-episode stint on the hit WB series. During his run on the show, he played the role of a man named Josh, who Jana Kramer’s character Alex dated. Their relationship did not work out, with Josh coming out as gay. Following his stint on One Tree Hill, he went on to play more supporting roles in several small-screen projects, including Dynasty, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, American Rust, and Outer Banks. 

Just recently, he appeared in the movie Lilly, which was officially released last month. Filming for the project concluded last year. This year, he worked on the new Starz series The Hunting Wives, which is coming out this November. He finished filming his part for the show despite his cancer battle, according to Variety. 

Apart from his TV roles and movie appearances, Teal also had a stint at different opera and theater houses across the country, playing leads in the stage productions of Newsies, Rent, and Sweeney Todd.