Hollywood was stunned by the loss of actor James Van Der Beek, who died at 48. Best known for playing Dawson Leery on the WB teen drama Dawson’s Creek, Van Der Beek passed away on Wednesday, February 11, in his home state of Texas. In late 2024, he revealed he was battling colorectal cancer, sharing his diagnosis with characteristic candor and optimism while continuing to work and spend time with his family.
Over the course of his career, he moved far beyond the role that made him a household name, appearing in projects such as Varsity Blues, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, and Pose, and earning praise for his willingness to poke fun at his own image. Colleagues remembered him as warm, quick-witted, and deeply devoted to his wife and six children. At the same time, fans flooded social media with tributes to the actor whose earnest performance helped define a generation of television.
Friend Sarah Michelle Gellar wrote on his wife Kimberly’s Instagram announcement of his passing: “I’m so sad for your beautiful family. While James legacy will always live on, this is a huge loss to not just your family but the world. F**k Cancer.”
Actress and former Dawson’s Creek costar Busy Philipps wrote an emotional post on Instagram, “My heart is deeply hurting for all of us today…every person who knew James and loved him, anyone who loved his work or had the pleasure of meeting him, all of his dear friends and community that surrounded him as he battled this illness, especially his parents and brother and sister. But I am profoundly heartbroken for his incredible wife Kimberly, and their six magical children.”
The actress then pleaded with fans to please donate to the actor’s GoFundMe to help his family and expressed her deep loss at his passing, “There is a GoFundMe for them to help out, and I’ll put the link in my stories. James Van Der Beek was one in a billion, and he will be forever missed, and I don’t know what else to say. I am just so, so sad.”
Actor Eric Stonestreet, who worked with Van Der Beek in a Season 9 episode of Modern Family, wrote: “James had a kind, generous, thoughtful, and beautiful soul. There is no doubt those traits will live on through his wife and gorgeous children.
Rest In Peace, man.”