Dawson’s Creek star dies aged 48 after cancer battle
Updated ,first published
James Van Der Beek died at the age of 48 after being diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
His wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, shared the news in an Instagram post.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” she wrote. “He met his last days with courage, faith and grace. We have much to share about his wishes, his love for humanity and the sanctity of time. Those days will come. For now, we ask for peaceful solitude as we grieve the pain of our loving husband, father, son, brother and friend.”
Dawson Creek Star appeared in public for the last time in an interview on December 19. Today When he said he felt “much, much better than he did a few months ago” in the US.
“It’s been a longer journey than I thought,” he said. “It took more from me; more patience, more discipline, more strength than I thought I had. I knew I was strong; I didn’t know I was that strong. But I feel good.”
The actor was first diagnosed in August 2023 after a routine colonoscopy.
“I have colorectal cancer,” he said People In November 2024. “I deal specifically with this diagnosis and, with the support of my incredible family, I am taking steps to resolve the issue.
“There are reasons to be optimistic and I feel good.”
Colorectal cancer, also known as bowel cancer or rectal cancer, develops from the inner lining of the intestine. According to the Cancer Council, it is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia. One in nine Australians diagnosed with bowel cancer are under 50.
Van Der Beek was best known for his role as Dawson Leery. Dawson Creek.
Van Der Beek, once a theater kid, will star in the film University Blues and on television CSI: Cyber as FBI Special Agent Elijah Mundo, but was forever linked to him. Dawson CreekIt lasted from 1998 to 2003.
The series tells the story of a high school friend who learns to fall in love, make real friendships, and find her own feet in life. Van Der Beek, then 20, played 15-year-old Dawson Leery, who aspires to be a director of Steven Spielberg’s caliber.
Dawson Creek Van Der Beek has become household names for Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams.
Van Der Beek sometimes struggled to step out of the show’s shadow, but eventually turned to self-satirization, as in her Funny Or Die videos and Kesha’s videos. blow Music video featuring a laser gun battle with a pop star in a nightclub and dead unicorns.
“It’s hard to compete with something that’s a cultural phenomenon Dawson Creek “it was” he said Vulture In 2013. “It took so long. That’s a lot of hours to play a character in front of people. So it’s natural that they associate you with that.”
While it’s still on Dawson CreekHosted by Van Der Beek “Saturday Night Live” – whose musical guest was Everlast – and played an important role University BluesHe plays a second-string high school quarterback who jumps into the breach when the star suffers an injury.
Van Der Beek, who grew up in Cheshire, Connecticut, began acting at the age of 13 after suffering a concussion while playing football under doctor’s orders that prevented him from playing for a year. He took on the role of Danny Zuko in the school production. Grease.
He continued in theater and appeared in an off-Broadway role in 1994 at the age of 16. Finding the Sun The film was re-enacted by Pulitzer Prize-winning Edward Albee and one of his sons. shenandoah at the prestigious Goodspeed Opera House in his home state.
He won a scholarship to Drew University in New Jersey, but left school early after receiving the scholarship. Dawson Creek. He returns to campus in 2024 to accept the honorary degree for his “selfless service and exemplary commitment to the Drew mission,” the university said.
Drew University President Hilary Link welcomed Van Der Beek with a popular quote. Dawson Creek “Acuity is temporary,” said the character, “but the heart lasts forever. So this morning we pay our respects to that heart.”
He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their six children, Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.
with AP
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Aine Ryan is Home Page Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
