Actor James Van Der Beek has passed away, his wife, Kimberly confirmed on Instagram Wednesday. Though a cause of death was not mentioned, the ‘Dawson's Creek’ actor was suffering from stage 3 colorectal cancer since 2024. He was 48.
"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," the statement from Kimberley Van Der Beek read. "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.”
James Van Der Veek Cancer Battle: What To Know
James Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023, but he kept it private until publicly disclosing it in November 2024. He had no family history of the disease and was unaware that screening guidelines had dropped to age 45, he revealed in an Instagram video in 2024.
{{/usCountry}}James Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023, but he kept it private until publicly disclosing it in November 2024. He had no family history of the disease and was unaware that screening guidelines had dropped to age 45, he revealed in an Instagram video in 2024.
{{/usCountry}}The cancer was localized (stage 3), offering a cautiously optimistic prognosis with about a 91% five-year survival rate per American Cancer Society data, according to a report on the cancer news website, Oncodaily.
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"Cancer's a wild thing," he said in the video. “It really does force you to look at your own mortality and decide what's important and decide really what you want to live the rest of your life without. And so, one of the big things for me was recognizing how negative my self-talk was."
He regularly shared updates on his cancer battle on his Instagram account. Here's the latest video he posted last year.
Van Der Beek was an American actor best known for playing Dawson Leery on the hit TV series Dawson’s Creek, which made him a household name in the late 1990s. He also appeared in films, sitcoms, and multiple stage productions.