Dawson’s Creek vet James Van Der Beek dead at 48 after cancer battle

“Dawson’s Creek” star James Van Der Beek has died at the age of 48 after a very public two-year battle with colorectal cancer.

The actor’s loved ones confirmed his death with an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday.

It read: ‘Our dear James David Van Der Beek passed away peacefully this morning. He faced his final days with courage, faith and grace.

‘He has so much to share about his wishes, his love for humanity and the sanctity of time. Those days will come. For now, we ask for peace and privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother and friend.’

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lucy Hale, Christie Brinkley and Rumer Willis hit the like button within minutes.

He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their six children.

Van Der Beek starred alongside Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams in the hit series Dawson’s Creek, which ran for six seasons.

The actor and his wife have daughters Olivia (15), Annabel (12), Emilia (9) and Gwendolyn (7) and sons Joshua (13) and Jeremiah (4).

He announced that he had cancer in November 2024.

“There are no guidelines on how to publicize these, but I had planned to speak at length with People magazine about this issue recently to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms,” she wrote on social media. ‘But this plan had to be changed when we received news that a tabloid newspaper was going to publish this story early this morning.

‘Until now I’ve been dealing with this privately, receiving treatment and managing my general health with more focus than ever before. I’m in a good place and I feel strong. It’s quite the beginning and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.

‘I’m sorry to all the people in my life that I planned to tell myself. Nothing about this process happened on my preferred timeline… But we go at it, taking every surprise as a signpost, pointing us towards a destiny greater than we could ever discover without divine intervention. Please know that my family and I are so grateful for all your love and support.’

Van Der Beek later said: People He was recovering from his health scare ‘with the support of my incredible family’.

And it’s slowed down dramatically in the last two years: ‘The beauty of taking things a little slower, prioritizing rest, and really letting that be the work, I’m just on the journey,’ he said during an interview on Today. The actor added: ‘It’s a process. ‘This will be a process that will probably last for the rest of my life.’

The star frequently updated her fans on social media about her cancer journey.

His family shared a heartbreaking post about his death on Wednesday. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lucy Hale, Christie Brinkley and Rumer Willis hit the like button within minutes

Her last Instagram post was on January 25, where she looked slim but healthy. He wished his daughter and father a happy birthday

‘I feel a little better every month. It required more from me; more patience, more discipline,” he said late last year, discussing his weight loss. ‘More power than I ever knew I had. In the emotional conversation, the star said, “I knew I was strong, I didn’t know I was this strong.”

Her last Instagram post was on January 25, where she looked slim but healthy. He wished his daughter and father a happy birthday.

The star moved from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, with her family in 2020 for a simpler life as they lived on a farm.

Van Der Beek rose to fame in the ’90s when she was 20 years old as Dawson’s Creek’s teenage heartthrob, Dawson Leery.

The series ran for six seasons on the WB Network from 1998 to 2003 and also launched the careers of Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson.

The actor worried fans when he appeared noticeably thin while appearing virtually at the Dawson’s Creek reunion in September.

Van Der Beek, who has six children with wife Kimberly, announced his diagnosis of stage three colorectal cancer in November 2024; He was seen with his wife and children on Instagram

On the show, Katie played Dawson’s childhood sweetheart, Joey Potter, while Joshua played their other friend and Joey’s true love, Pacey Witter. Michelle rounded out the core group as rebellious Jen Lindley.

In her early days, Van Der Beek was not prepared for the level of fame that came with starring in a high school drama.

‘It’s something that took me a long time to become known for… I had a big learning curve on that,’ she told People in 2024.

‘It was a different interaction back then. I’m a lot more adult now and at the time I was so tortured about it because I loved being observant and a fly on the wall and randomly chatting with people.

‘I remember being so heartbroken at the fact that these random conversations or random acts of kindness were now eliminated because there was this thing called ‘celebrity’ between me and someone else and that became the center of attention.’

One of her last red carpet appearances was at the Los Angeles premiere of the series Overcompensating at the Hollywood Palladium on May 14, 2025.

He also appeared in the sitcom Apartment 23, with Eric Andre as Mark, Michael Blaiklock as Eli, Dreama Walker as June, Krysten Ritter as Chloe, and James as himself.

And in 2019, she competed on Dancing With The Stars with Emma Slater.

Even though Van Der Beek had to deal with dealing with global fame, she ultimately valued her time on Dawson’s Creek.

He has also been delighted to reconnect with his former castmates in recent years, and in August 2025 it was announced that he and the cast would reunite for a live reading of the series’ pilot episode.

The celebration was a one-night charity event to raise money for the non-profit F Cancer and Van Der Beek during her cancer journey.

However, days before the event was to take place, Van Der Beek broke down, announcing that he had to withdraw from the event due to illness.

He expressed his disappointment in a pre-recorded video played on the night, telling fans: ‘I’ve been looking forward to this night for months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was going to put this together.