One Tree Hill alum Paul Teal and Emilia Torello’s romance transcended their on stage characters.
Teal and Torello starred alongside each other in a 2022 production of Newsies as Jack Kelly and Katherine Plumber, respectively. In September of that year, Torello shared a snap via Instagram of the twosome kissing on stage.
Later that year, the pair dressed up in couple’s costume together. “You’re the cutest jailbird I ever did see,” Torello captioned her November 2022 Instagram post.
Two years later, Torello shared that Teal died at age 35 after being diagnosed with stage IV neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer.
“He was the most talented man I’ve ever met. When he set his mind to something, there was no stopping him. He was the most diligent and dedicated person,” she told TMZ at the time. “I truly believed with all of my heart that he would come out the other side of this because of those traits. That’s what makes this loss even more tragic.”
Scroll down to see their love story from the beginning:
One Tree Hill alum Paul Teal has died at the age of 35. “The most thoughtful, inspiring, driven, self-disciplined, loving man passed away on Friday, November 15, 2024,” Teal’s partner Emilia Torello announced via Instagram on Sunday, November 17. “Paul, you were my soulmate, my soon-to-be-husband, my rock, and my future.” While Torello did not […]
September 2022
While gushing about performing Newsies, Torello shared a pic of her and Teal kissing on stage.
“Ask me if its possible for me to have loved this show more? (spoiler: it’s not),” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “Thank you to the most incredible beautiful amazing people that made this experience what it was. From cast to crew to production team, I couldn’t have dreamed up a better group of people to get to do this dream role with. Here’s to the Newsies that stopped the world! (or at least Thalian Hall main stage for a little while) ♥️.”
November 2022
Teal and Torello dressed up together, posing for a pic where he threw an arm over her shoulder and she held his hand. Later that month, the twosome celebrated the holidays. “Happy christmas season!!” Torello captioned a series of Instagram images, including one where he kissed her forehead.
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July 2023
The pair were all smiles while they went to the movie theater together. “Very proud to say that I only had weird barbies,” Torello captioned the post.
November 2023
Torello uploaded several images of her and Teal traveling to Paris. In one snap, Torello and Teal kissed underneath the eiffel tower.
July 2024
Torello and Teal celebrated his birthday by practicing their batting. “Part I of the birthday weekend for my babe ⚾️🧢✨,” she captioned her Instagram post.
August 2024
The birthday festivities continued into the next month, with the twosome spending a weekend hiking. “part III of our weekend living in the trees 🏕️,” she wrote via Instagram.
Michelle Williams, Lea Michele and more stars have opened up about dealing with their grief following unexpected deaths in their personal lives. The Dawson’s Creek alum met Heath Ledger after they played husband and wife in Brokeback Mountain in 2004. The couple welcomed daughter Matilda the following year. Williams and Ledger called it quits in […]
November 2024
Torello paid tribute to “the most thoughtful, inspiring, driven, self-disciplined, loving man” in an emotional Instagram post while sharing that Teal died.
“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,” she wrote at the time. “You were taken too soon, in a battle that you fought bravely without fail.”
She continued, “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. The world is lucky to have even had a moment with Paul Teal, and I am the luckiest person in it, because I got to call you mine. I will love you forever.”