James Van Der Beek has passed away at the age of 48. In August 2023, James was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer. He’d been receiving treatment for it and in December, held an auction to raise money to help pay for that treatment. James was best known for portraying Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creek, Mox in Varsity Blues, and himself in Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23. The news of James’ passing was announced on Instagram by his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek. James is also survived by his six children, Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, nine, Gwendolyn, seven, and Jeremiah, four.
The beloved Dawson’s Creek star died at age 48 on Wednesday, Feb. 11, his wife, Kimberly, announced in a statement on his social media accounts.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” her statement said. “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.”
A cause of death has not been shared at the time of publishing, but the actor previously opened up about his diagnosis of stage 3 colorectal cancer in November 2024.
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer starts in the colon or the rectum, and it has become more common in otherwise healthy adults under 55 (one in five new colorectal cancer diagnoses are among people under the age of 55, which has increased from one in 10 in 1995). Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer at age 46.
This is so sad. I feel so badly for his wife and children and hope they have a good support system. James’ last interview was in December with Today. During that interview, he said that he was feeling “much, much better.” I was really hopeful that he would beat his cancer. When James revealed his diagnosis, he said it was to raise awareness on the importance of doing routine screenings because cancer can happen to anyone, no matter how healthy they think they are. So, in James’ honor, here is another reminder not to put off getting the important screenings, like colonoscopies and mammograms.
Last month, Paul Walter Hauser started fundraising on Cameo to help James and a celebrity auction was planned to begin on March 1. After the news broke, James posted that so far, he’d raised over $14,000 towards his $20,000 Cameo goal and would be donating that money and any other money raised directly to Kimberly and his children to help support them. You can check Paul’s Cameo out here.
Note by CB: I saw James in The Real Full Monty in late 2024, with Anthony Anderson, Taye Diggs, Chris Jones, Tyler Posey and Bruno Tonioli. He opened up and was so vulnerable about his diagnosis. I’m sure he helped a lot of people decide to get screenings.
Photos credit: Avalon.red
Very sad news. Those poor kids!
I was not a fan of Dawson’s Creek or Varsity Blues, but I was a teenage girl when those were out and he was everywhere. This is so sad. I wish his family peace and healing.
I’ve never watched any of the shows that he was in but did follow his story and sincerely prayed and hoped that he would pull through. Condolences to his wife, children, family and friends.
Yes, very sad and very young. His cancer death reminded me of Shannon Doherty, who passed away from breast cancer at the age of 53. May God rest their souls and may their loved ones find peace.
Cancer sucks 😪 I hope his family finds peace. I’m a huge Dawson’s Creek fan so it hits closer.