James Van Der Beek, the soft-eyed actor whose boyish attractiveness and earnestness landed him the main position in ’90s teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” and catapulted him to stardom, has died. He was 48.
The actor died Wednesday, in accordance with an announcement posted to his verified Instagram.
“He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” the assertion mentioned. “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.”
His consultant Whitney Tancred additionally confirmed the information when reached by NCS.
Van Der Beek announced in November 2024 that he was residing with stage 3 colorectal most cancers.
James Van Der Beek makes emotional announcement on ‘DWTS’
Following his loss of life, Van Der Beek’s spouse Kimberly, with whom he shared six kids, shared a hyperlink through social media to a GoFundMe campaign, asking for assist as a result of Van Der Beek’s sickness left the household in “financial strain.”
“The costs of James’s medical care and the extended fight against cancer have left the family out of funds,” the marketing campaign web page states. “They are working hard to stay in their home and to ensure the children can continue their education and maintain some stability during this incredibly difficult time.”
Born in 1977 in Cheshire, Connecticut, Van Der Beek was the eldest of three kids. He caught the appearing bug in center college, and when he was 15, he instructed his mom he wished to audition professionally.
“She didn’t hold me back,” he as soon as recounted. “She took me to NYC, and she walked me through it.”
Soon after, he was forged in an off-Broadway play, “Finding the Sun,” and later gained a tutorial scholarship to Drew University in New Jersey.
More roles adopted, together with the position of Rick Sanford within the 1995 movie “Angus,” adopted by a bit half in “I Love You, I Love You Not” starring Claire Danes.
After taking a while off from faculty to journey, Van Der Beek auditioned for the starring position in “Dawson’s Creek,” which might make him a star.
Speaking to Larry King, Van Der Beek as soon as defined how he initially wrote off the prospect of taking part in Dawson Leery, an impressionable New England teen and movie freak coming of age alongside his childhood buddies. The characters have been written as 15 12 months olds. When the actor auditioned, he was already 20.
“Then they called me back and wanted to fly me out here to test in LA, at which point I read the script and really loved it,” he mentioned, occurring to recount how he learn for varied studio heads together with the creator of “Dawson’s Creek,” Kevin Williamson.
Van Der Beek defined that he later discovered that sure executives didn’t need him for the position, however that Williamson “had to put his foot down and say, ‘Listen, I created this guy, I know this guy, this kid is this guy!’”
The nighttime WB teen cleaning soap, which ran for six seasons from 1998 till 2003, additionally starred Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams, and helped launch their careers.
Van Der Beek additionally discovered success on the large display in 1999’s “Varsity Blues,” 2001’s “Texas Rangers” and “The Rules of Attraction” in 2002. He was additionally a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars” for Season 28 in 2019.
The “Dawson’s” forged stayed shut over time, final coming collectively for a fundraising effort in New York City within the fall.
Van Der Beek had been scheduled to look alongside his castmates at that “Dawson’s Creek” reunion, however needed to to drag out of the occasion because of a abdomen bug.
He appeared nearly, thanking Williams, who organized the occasion – which benefitted the nonprofit F Cancer and Van Der Beek – and your complete forged.
“I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together,” Van Der Beek mentioned on the time, as seen in a video shared on social media by the podcast “Back To You, Bob!” “I can’t believe I’m not there.”
On Wednesday, costar Busy Philipps, who appeared on the reunion, wrote Van Der Beek was “one in a billion and he will be forever missed.”
“I am just so so sad,” she mentioned. “He was my friend and i loved him and i’m so grateful for our friendship all these years.”
In latest months, Van Der Beek was open in regards to the monetary burden his remedy had placed on his household. He participated in a reside public sale in December that featured memorabilia from his “Dawson’s Creek” and “Varsity Blues” roles.
Mourners from close to and much
The tributes for Van Der Beek rapidly poured in Wednesday following the information of his passing.
Holmes mourned Van Der Beek in a poignant, handwritten letter posted to her Instagram account, praising her “Dawson’s Creek” co-star’s “compassion” and “selflessness.”
“I formed some words with a heavy heart. This is a lot to process. I am so grateful to have shared a piece of James’ journey,” Holmes mentioned within the submit, alongside a photograph of the letter, which was addressed to the late actor.
“Thank you. To share space with your imagination is sacred – breathing the same air in the land of make believe,” she wrote, describing reminiscences of laughter, “conversations about life,” and “adventures of a unique youth.”
“Dancing With the Stars” professional Emma Slater, who competed as Van Der Beek’s accomplice on their season, wrote within the feedback of the Instagram submit saying his loss of life that he “is and will always be family to me.”
“Love you so much James. The man that you are, you can be proud of,” she wrote. “So grateful that I got to be there to say goodbye to you.”
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Actress Stacy Kiebler shared a latest photograph of herself with Van Der Beek on her Instagram page, writing a heartfelt tribute to the person who she referred to as “a gift” and recalling her go to with him throughout his “final days.”
“In these past days, you taught me more about being present than any book ever could,” she wrote. “Your presence was a bright light in my life, and in so many others. And while your physical body may no longer be here, I know your spirit is doing big things. I feel it already.”
Kevin Smith remembered Van Der Beek by recalling the instances he referred to as upon the actor to look in his cult movies, together with 2001’s “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” and 2019’s “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.”
“James didn’t just lend us his name and celebrity, he came to PLAY, making memorable moments in forgettable films,” Smith wrote on his Instagram page. “One of the best things you can do for a person is dream their dreams with or for them – so I’ll always remember #jamesvanderbeek as the generous, funny, warm, self-effacing superstar who twice helped me make my dreams come true, 18 years apart.”
Van Der Beek had remained energetic on his social media till comparatively just lately, sharing varied observations on his life and the way particular and essential his position as a father was to him.
On his forty eighth birthday final March, Van Der Beek shared a candid testimonial video and mentioned that whereas changing into a father was the “ultimate” for him when it comes to how he outlined himself, coming “nose to nose with death” had compelled him to problem beliefs he’d beforehand held.
“If I am just a too-skinny weak guy alone in an apartment with cancer, what am I? And I meditated and the answer came through – I am worthy of God‘s love, simply because I exist,” he mentioned. “And if I’m worthy of God‘s love, shouldn’t I also be worthy of my own? And the same is true for you.”
This story has been up to date with extra info.
NCS’s Alli Rosenbloom contributed to this report.