Bethany Joy Lenz pays tribute

On By Littum

Originally appeared on E! Online

The One Tree Hill the cast mourns the loss of one of their own.

Paul Tealwho played movie star Josh in season seven of the WB series, died Nov. 15 after a health battle, his partner Emilia Torello confirmed on Instagram November 17. He was 35.

“The most thoughtful, inspiring, driven, self-disciplined, loving man passed away on Friday, November 15, 2024,” Emilia wrote in her posts on social media. “Paul, you were my soul mate, my future 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.”

She continued that in the midst of her grief, she will honor his memory.

“While a part of me died with you, I promise to fight to find joy in life as hard as you fought to live each and every day.” Emily adated “The world is lucky to have even had a moment with Paul Teal, and I’m the luckiest person in it because I got to call you mine. I’ll love you forever.”

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Bethany Joy Lenz-who played with Paul next door Sophia Bush, James Lafferty, Jana Kramer and more in the drama — also expressed her sympathy for his passing on social media.

“My heart is heavy,” Bethany wrote in an Instagram post on November 17. “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 around him.”

The 43-year-oldold — who noticed how she ffirst met Paul while staging a production of The notebook in 2006 – reflected on working with the actor and even directed him in a 2010 episode of One Tree Hill.

Paul Teal

Emilia Torello/Instagram

“He was shy and funny and so comfortable on stage,” she explained. “Like his second skin. You couldn’t take your eyes off him. Later I was giddy directing an episode of One Tree Hill where I would have a new recurring character, Josh – the sleazy movie star.”

Bethany emphasized, “With his self-deprecating sense of humor and willingness to fully immerse himself in any character, Paul was perfect for the role.”

During his career, Paul completed a seven-episode run One Tree Hillwhere his character dated Jana’s character Alex before coming out as gay.

He also appeared in Ben Affleck and Ana De Armas‘ 2022 movie Deep Watertwo sections of Outer Banks in 2021 and landed many other minor roles.

“Paul, your time here was like a summer romance for all of us who knew you,” Bethany — who also expressed regret for not keeping in touch with the actor — added in her post, “especially if it was only for a season. Explosive, exciting, deeply moving and unforgettable.”

Keep reading to see Paul’s cutest moments with his partner Emily…

A beautiful beginning

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Emilia Torello debuted his relationship with Paul Teal in 2022 and captioned a photo of their Halloween costumes, “You’re the cutest jailbird I’ve ever seen.”

A picture-perfect moment

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Over the years, Emilia chronicled her travels around the world with Paul, including a trip to Paris in November 2023.

In the city of love

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Emilia wrote about the trip: “Almost 200,000 steps and 20 cappuccinos later…”

Nothing but smiles

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The couple celebrated the Christmas season with coordinating outfits and a warm drink.

It’s fantastic

<p>It’s fantastic</p> <p>” loading=”lazy” width=”634″ height=”1024″ decoding=”async” data-nimg=”1″ class=”rounded-lg” style=”color:transparent” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/wEaPiP_9nCeSa0JbKqUmNQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE1NTE-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/e__181/ff94ce44dc7af58ea20f15c54a57ff7d”/></p></div><figcaption class=

The One Tree Hill alum and Emilia celebrated the release of Barbie with a sweet date night in the summer of 2023.

A home run

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Emilia gave a glimpse into her and Paul’s July celebrations for his 35th birthday in an adorable three-part Instagram series – the first part of which included a trip to the batting cages.

Love in the open

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The second part of Paul’s 35th birthday celebration involved an August getaway in the woods.

Better together

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Emilia called the holiday when she wrote her third birthday tribute to Paul, “Our weekend living in the trees.”

A heartbreaking goodbye

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On November 17, Emiliar shared the tragic news that Paul had passed away.

“Paul, you were my soul mate, my soon-to-be husband, my rock and my future,” she wrote. “You filled my lungs with laughter, my stomach with butterflies, and my heart with love. You were taken too soon, in a battle you fought valiantly without fail.”

She continued: “The world is lucky to even have had a moment with Paul Teal, and I’m the luckiest person in that because I got to call you mine. I’ll love you forever.”

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