The wife of iconic actor James Van Der Beek, known for his role in the hit television show “Dawsons Creek,” released a statement after his passing at the age of 48.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” Kimberly Van Der Beek wrote on Instagram. “He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace.”
The couple shared six children together: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah.
She noted that her husband had wishes after his passing, which she plans to share in the days to come.
“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,” she wrote.
Van Der Beek, who also starred in the films “Varsity Blues and “Texas Rangers,” first announced he had colorectal cancer in 2023.
“I’m just on the journey,” he told TODAY in July 2025. “It’s a process. It’ll probably be a process for the rest of my life.”
News of his struggling health made headlines, however, in the fall, when Van Der Beek was forced to pull out of a “Dawsons Creek” reunion for a one-night only charity event in September. But Van Der Beek — who played heartthrob Dawson Leery — canceled his appearance due to illness.
“We wanted to gather around our dear friend James and remind him that we are all here. We always have been and we always will be,” his co-star Michelle Williams said at the time. “And I know the fans of ‘Dawson’s Creek’ feel the same way.”
Van Der Beek said the event was an evening he had been looking forward to most, but “two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission and keep me grounded at the worst possible moment.”
“Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there. I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most,” he wrote on social media.
Kimberly Van Der Beek and her children were in attendance, however. And Van Der Beek joined with a special recorded message.
“This night was so special for the whole family and, more importantly, just feeling my husband fill the entire theater and the love for him,” she wrote on her Instagram story after the event.
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