Not even two weeks after Catherine O’Hara’s passing, “Dawson’s Creek” star James Van Der Beek died, as well. The actor was only 48 years old at the time of his death, which was also the result of colorectal cancer.
Van Der Beek was open about his health issues, even sharing in 2025 that he wouldn’t be able to join his “Dawson’s Creek” co-stars for the hotly anticipated reunion. “This is the evening I’d been looking forward to MOST since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together … So you can imagine how gutted I was when two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission and keep me grounded at the worst possible moment,” he shared in an Instagram post. Van Der Beek also noted that he had been especially looking forward to thanking his fans and former co-stars for their support since his cancer diagnosis in 2024. Even so, he shared that he felt all the love in absentia. “I will be beaming and receiving from afar in a bed in Austin,” he penned.
As fans will know, Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly shared six children, daughters Olivia, Annabel Leah, Emilia, and Gwendolyn, and sons Joshua and Jeremiah. The actor also made it clear that he lived an incredibly normal life and that his wife and kids were his top priority. Van Der Beek regularly shared videos of special moments with his loved ones, like impromptu hikes, trick-or-treating photo dumps, and snaps of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Egypt. Van Der Beek is certainly gone too soon, but there’s no question that the time he did share with loved ones was special, and we hope his family and friends find some comfort in that.
Robert Duvall
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