James Van Der Beek, best known for starring in Dawson's Creek, passed away at age 48 on Wednesday after battling colorectal cancer, which he announced in November 2024. His wife Kimberly shared the news on Instagram, requesting privacy for the family. Co-stars from the show and other projects quickly posted tributes honoring his life and legacy.
James Van Der Beek's death was announced by his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, in an Instagram post on Wednesday. "Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," she wrote. "He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."
The actor had publicly shared his colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024. In the following year, he withdrew from a one-night-only Dawson's Creek reunion in New York City due to a severe stomach virus, with Lin-Manuel Miranda stepping in to read his lines.
Katie Holmes, who played Joey Potter opposite Van Der Beek's Dawson Leery on the WB series, posted a handwritten letter on Instagram. "James, thank you," she began. "To share a space with your imagination is sacred — breathing the same air in the land of make believe and trusting that each other's hearts are safe in their expression... these are some of the memories, along with laughter, conversations about life, James Taylor songs — adventures of a unique youth." She praised his "compassion, bravery, selflessness, and strength," adding, "An appreciation for life with the integrity that life is art — creating a beautiful marriage, six loving children — the journey of a hero. I mourn this loss with a heavy heart holding the reality of his absence and deep gratitude for his imprint on it."
Other co-stars echoed similar sentiments. Busy Philipps, who portrayed Audrey Liddell on Dawson's Creek, wrote, "My heart is deeply hurting for all of us today... James Van Der Beek was one in a billion, and he will be forever missed... He was my friend and I loved him and I'm so grateful for our friendship all these years."
Mary-Margaret Humes, Van Der Beek's TV mother Gail Leery, shared, "James, my gracious warrior, you fought a hard battle against all odds with such quiet strength and dignity. I will always love and admire you for that."
Krysten Ritter, from Don't Trust the B—- in Apt. 23, described him as a "beautiful human inside and out. Smart, funny, empathic, kind, talented and just pure magic."
Emma Slater, his partner on Dancing With the Stars Season 28, commented, "I'm so devastated. He is and will always be family to me... So grateful that I got to be there to say goodbye to you."
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Chad Michael Murray also offered condolences, with Gellar stating, "F**k Cancer," and Murray calling him "a giant" whose "words, art and humanity inspired all of us."
