James Van Der Beek dead at 48 after colorectal cancer battle

James Van Der Beek, finest recognized for his starring roles in “Dawson’s Creek” and “Varsity Blues,” has died after a brave battle with stage 3 colon most cancers. He was 48.

“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek handed away peacefully this morning,” mentioned an announcement from Van der Beek’s official Instagram account. “He met his closing days with braveness, religion and style. There’s a lot to share about his needs, love for humanity and the sanctity of time. These days will come. For now, we ask for peaceable privateness as we mourn our loving husband, father, son, brother and good friend.”

Shortly after the information broke, shut mates of Van Der Beek and his spouse Kimberly launched a GoFundMe in an effort to assist the 44-year-old and their six youngsters.

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“By the use of [James’] His sickness left the household with not solely emotional challenges, but in addition important monetary pressure as they did every part potential to assist James and supply for his care,” the GoFundMe web page reads.

“Within the wake of this loss, Kimberly and the youngsters face an unsure future. The prices of James’ medical care and his lengthy battle with most cancers have left the household with out monetary sources. They’re working arduous to stay of their residence and be certain that the youngsters can proceed their training and preserve some stability throughout this extremely troublesome time.”

“The assist of mates, household and the broader neighborhood will make a world of distinction as they navigate the street forward,” the report concluded. “Your generosity will assist cowl important residing bills, pay payments and assist the youngsters’s training. Each donation, no matter dimension, will assist Kimberly and her household discover hope and safety as they rebuild their lives. Thanks for contemplating a present to assist them.”

Shortly after the information broke, Kimberly Van Der Beek shared a GoFundMe hyperlink created by the couple’s shut mates in an effort to assist her and the couple’s six youngsters. (Michael Kovac)

Born on March 8, 1977 in Cheshire, Connecticut, Van Der Beek made his appearing debut on Broadway on the age of 15 and went on to look in a number of stage productions.

Nevertheless, his breakthrough got here in 1997 when he landed the position of Dawson Leery in ‘Dawson’s Creek’.

“Two weeks later I had a present in Seattle and so they mentioned, ‘There’s going to be 100 folks right here.’ And I mentioned, ‘There will not be 100 folks.’ And there have been like 500 of them, and so they had been screaming, and I believed, ‘Wow, this factor goes to be manner larger than I ever imagined,'” Van Der Beek recalled throughout a “Dawson’s Creek” panel in April 2025.

‘Dawson’s Creek’ star, James Van Der Beek, handed away on February 11 after a battle with colorectal most cancers. He was 48. (Casey Flanigan)

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All through his profession, Van Der Beek has starred in a number of tv reveals and movies, together with ‘Varsity Blues’, ‘Texas Rangers’, ‘Scary Film’, ‘How I Met Your Mom’, ‘CSI’ and extra.

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Van Der Beek died “peacefully,” based on an announcement on the actor’s official Instagram account. (Andrew Toth/Getty Photos)

In 2019, he starred within the twenty eighth season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’.

Whereas Van Der Beek exemplified the all-American boy subsequent door, his life was overshadowed by a number of challenges.

In 2020, the actor and his spouse Kimberly – together with their six youngsters – moved from Los Angeles to Texas.

“Within the final 10 months now we have had two late being pregnant losses that landed @vanderkimberly within the hospital,” the actor wrote on Instagram on the time. “We spent the Christmas holidays considering she had a tumor (the physician was unsuitable, thank God), a enterprise colleague I employed hijacked the undertaking and stabbed me within the again, I used to be pulled prematurely from a actuality dance present I had tried to win in entrance of the entire world, and my mom died.”

JAMES VAN DER BEEK FIGHTED CANCER SYMPTOMS FOR PROBLEMS WITH HIS DIET

“And a shutdown,” he continued, referring to COVID-19. “All of that has led to some drastic modifications in our lives, goals and priorities… and introduced us right here. Immediately, we’re overflowing with deep gratitude.”

The actor received his break in 1997 when he landed the position of Dawson Leery in ‘Dawson’s Creek’. (Getty Photos)

A couple of years later, nevertheless, Van Der Beek would face the hardest hurdle of all.

In November 2024, Van Der Beek — who was formally identified with stage 3 colorectal most cancers in August 2023 — first introduced his analysis in an announcement to Folks: “I’ve colorectal most cancers. I’ve handled this analysis privately and have taken steps to resolve it, with the assist of my great household.”

“There’s motive for optimism and I really feel good,” he added.

Shortly after the announcement, Van Der Beek used his private social media account to elaborate additional on the information. “‘It is most cancers…’ Yearly, about 2 billion folks all over the world get this analysis. And I am one in all them,” he wrote in an Instagram post.

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He continued: “There isn’t any playbook for a way [to] I used to be going to announce this stuff, however I deliberate to speak about them in depth with Folks journal quickly…to boost consciousness and inform my story alone phrases. However that plan needed to change early this morning after I was advised a tabloid could be reporting the information.”

In 2020, the actor and his spouse Kimberly – together with their six youngsters – moved their household from Los Angeles to Texas. (James Van Der Beek Instagram)

He defined that he was “coping with this privately,” specializing in “getting therapy and dialing in my total well being with extra focus than ever earlier than.”

He additionally mentioned, “I am in a very good place and feeling robust. It has been fairly an initiation and I am going to inform you extra after I’m prepared.”

“None of this course of has occurred on the timeline I want… However we’re urgent forward with it, taking every shock as a signpost, pointing us towards a larger future than we might have found with out divine intervention.”

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In March 2025, Van Der Beek opened up concerning the “hardest yr” of his life and defined how he leaned on his religion throughout troublesome occasions.

“Once I was youthful, I outlined myself as an actor, which was by no means that satisfying, after which I turned a husband… it was significantly better, after which I turned a father… that was the last word,” he advised his 1.6 million followers on Instagram on March 8.

In 2019, he starred within the twenty eighth season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’. (Picture by Rachel Murray/Getty Photos for Hulu)

JAMES VAN DER BEEK FIGHTED CANCER SYMPTOMS FOR PROBLEMS WITH HIS DIET

The daddy of six identified that his battle with most cancers pressured him to “look my very own mortality within the face.”

“I needed to come nose to nose with loss of life,” he famous. “And all these definitions that I cared a lot about had been taken away from me.”

“I used to be away for therapy, so I might not be a husband who was useful to my spouse,” Van Der Beek continued. “I might not be a father who would decide up his children and put them to mattress and be there for them. I could not be a breadwinner as a result of I wasn’t working.”

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Throughout his most cancers journey, the actor admitted he started to marvel if he was “simply too skinny, weak a person, alone in an house with most cancers… what am I?”

The actor mentioned his sickness pressured him to consider his personal mortality. (Getty Photos)

“I’m worthy of God’s love, just because I exist,” Van Der Beek mentioned. “And if I’m worthy of God’s love, ought to I not even be worthy of mine?”

“As I transfer by means of this therapeutic portal to restoration,” Van Der Beek mentioned. “I wished to share that with you as a result of the revelation I had was in no small half on account of all of the prayers and love that had been despatched to me.”

In September 2025, Van Der Beek withdrew from a extremely anticipated “Dawson’s Creek” reunion on account of ongoing well being issues. Nevertheless, the actor made a shock digital look on the charity occasion.

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James Van Der Beek performed Dawson Leery within the 1997 hit sequence “Dawson’s Creek.” (Getty Photos/Handout; Michael Buckner/Deadline/Penske Media through Getty Photos)

“I have been wanting ahead to this evening for months ever since my angel Michelle Williams mentioned she was placing it collectively,” Van Der Beek mentioned in a video performed to the gang and later seen by followers. posted on social media. “I am unable to consider I am not right here. I am unable to consider I am unable to see my castmates, my lovely solid, in particular person.”

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“And simply – I wished to face on that stage and thank everybody within the theater for being right here tonight,” he continued. “From the solid, to the crew, to everybody who does one thing and has been so beneficiant, and particularly all of you, you’re the finest followers on the planet.”

‘Thanks for coming. It is completely humbling how a lot you have carried out for this night, and I simply need to thanks. “I need to thank everybody right here,” he added.

In December 2025, Van Der Beek sat down with “Immediately’s” Craig Melvin and talked about his well being.

“I really feel a lot, significantly better than just a few months in the past,” Van Der Beek mentioned on the time. “It has been an extended journey than I ever imagined. It is taken extra from me – extra persistence, extra self-discipline, extra power than I knew I had. I knew I used to be robust – I did not know I used to be that robust. However I really feel good.”