Dawson's Creek Star James Van Der Beek Dies at 48

Actor's wife says he 'met his final days with courage, faith, and grace'
Posted Feb 11, 2026 2:03 PM CST
Actor James Van Der Beek Dies at 48
James Van Der Beek arrives at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

James Van Der Beek, who became a late-'90s TV fixture as Dawson Leery, has died at 48 following stage 3 colorectal cancer. His wife, Kimberly, announced on Instagram Wednesday that he "passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace," she wrote. "There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity, and the sacredness of time. Those days will come." She ended by asking for privacy as the family grieves the "loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend." The couple share six children.

Van Der Beek revealed his diagnosis in November 2024, saying the cancer was discovered after a routine colonoscopy the previous year and that he'd been quietly undergoing treatment with his family's support.

People reports the Connecticut native got his acting start in high school theater, briefly attended Duke University, then dropped out and landed Dawson's Creek, which ran for six seasons. Alongside co-stars Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams, the AP reports the show helped "define the WB as a haven for teens and young adults who related to its hyper-articulate dialogue and frank talk about sexuality."

He went on to roles in Varsity Blues, How I Met Your Mother, and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, among others. In a December interview on Today, he said the illness had demanded "more patience, more discipline, more strength than I knew I had," but that he still felt "so blessed" by his family and the outpouring of support.

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