James Van Der Beek, Dawson’s Creek Star and Father of 6, Dies at 48 After Cancer Journey

James Van Der Beek has died.

The actor, best known for his roles in Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues, died after a battle 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 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.”

Van Der Beek and Kimberly shared six children: daughters Olivia (15), Annabel (12), Emilia (9½), and Gwendolyn (7), and sons Joshua (13) and Jeremiah (4). He first publicly announced his cancer diagnosis in November 2024, saying he was focusing on his health and family.

“I have colorectal cancer,” he said at the time. “I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family.”

“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good,” he added.

He said the cancer was discovered after a routine colonoscopy in August 2023. He wasn’t worried heading into the appointment, but later realized he had been experiencing symptoms.

“It was just a change in bowel habits,” he said in November 2024. “I thought, I probably need to change my diet a little bit… And then I finally took that out of the diet, and it didn’t improve, and I thought, all right, I better go get this checked out.”

He recalled feeling relieved as the procedure ended — until his doctor delivered the diagnosis.

“I felt really, really good as I was coming out of anesthesia that I had finally done it and looked into it,” he said. “And as I was coming out of the haze, the gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — it is cancer.”

The news left him in shock, he said, and changed his life immediately.

“I’m very healthy,” he said then. “I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy as much as I could… Though I’ve since learned a lot about what actually eating healthy is.”

He described cancer as a “full-time job,” from constant appointments to navigating insurance and medical records. One of the most difficult parts, he said, was telling the people he loved.

“Telling people required a lot of energy,” he admitted. “I’m an empath. I like to take care of everybody… So to have to tell people and my father and my siblings and my kids, it was really tricky.”

At the same time, he said the support he received was overwhelming.

“It was amazing,” he said, tearing up. “I’m never the person who asked for any help — ever… The way friends showed up was such a beautiful experience — and I would never have otherwise seen how much people care about me.”

Even amid treatment, he tried to maintain perspective.

“I really feel like this is going to be the biggest life redirect,” he said in November 2024. “That I’m going to look back on in a year or five years, 30 years from now and say, ‘Thank God that happened.’”

“I’ve really been so blessed with my wife and kids,” he added. “I’ve got a lot to live for, and it’s a beautiful life.”

He made his final public appearance in an interview with Today’s Craig Melvin on Dec. 19, saying he was feeling “much, much better than I did a couple months ago.”

“It’s been a longer journey than I ever thought it would be,” he said. “It’s required more of me — more patience, more discipline, more strength than I knew I had… But I feel good.”

The interview followed his absence from a Dawson’s Creek cast reunion event in September due to illness. He appeared via video with a pre-recorded message for fans, while Kimberly and their children attended in his place.

“As crushed as I was not being able to go… my family got to go,” he later said. “All that love that would have otherwise been directed at me was directed at my family. It was just one of the most beautiful moments I’ve ever gotten to witness.”

Van Der Beek was born March 8, 1977, in Connecticut. He first fell in love with acting in high school, where he played Danny Zuko in a production of Grease. He continued performing in theater, then attended Duke University before leaving school to pursue acting full-time.

He later landed the lead role of Dawson Leery on Dawson’s Creek, starring alongside Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams for six seasons from 1998 to 2003. The WB series followed a close-knit group of friends as they navigated adolescence and early adulthood.

Over the years, Van Der Beek continued working across film and television, with roles in Varsity Blues (1999), How I Met Your Mother, and Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, among other projects.

He met Kimberly in 2009 after his first marriage ended, and the two married on Aug. 1, 2010, in Tel Aviv, Israel. He previously described parenting six children as a “humbling” experience, saying, “When you think you’ve got it down, you get one that throws a curveball at you.”

He also spoke often about how much he treasured family life.

“I really don’t think of myself as having any ownership over any of my children,” he said in 2024. “I just feel like we won the great cosmic lottery that these souls chose to have us as their parents… I just feel so lucky as they reveal to us who they are.”

In 2024, about a month after sharing his diagnosis publicly, Van Der Beek appeared in The Real Full Monty alongside Taye Diggs, Tyler Posey, NFL player Chris Jones, and Bruno Tonioli. The special featured the men stripping down to raise awareness for prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer testing and research.

He most recently appeared in the comedy series Overcompensating and was set to star in Elle, the new Legally Blonde prequel series premiering later this year.

Reflecting on his illness in 2024, he described what the experience taught him about uncertainty and resilience.

“It’s okay to not know. It’s okay to hit the depths of despair,” he said. “And that is actually maybe the point of it all… to look at setbacks as signposts to a destiny that I never would’ve found otherwise.”

After news of his death became public, a GoFundMe was created by friends of Kimberly’s, stating that the family is struggling financially and asking for support to help cover living expenses, bills, and the children’s education.