(NEXSTAR) – James Van Der Beek, who rose to teen idol status on the show “Dawson’s Creek,” has died, his family announced on Wednesday.
The actor had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. He was 48 years old.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, wrote on Instagram. “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 and Kimberly Van Der Beek had six children together.
James Van Der Beek during A celebration for the 100th episode of “Dawson’s Creek” at The Museum Of Television And Radio in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by James Devaney/WireImage)
FILE – 1997 Katie Holmes as Joey Potter and James Van Der Beek as Dawson Leery in “Dawson’s Creek.”
James Van Der Beek attends FOX Winter Press Day on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, at the FOX Studio Lot in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
James Van Der Beek – ‘Bad Hair’ (Photo by Michael Buckner/Deadline/Penske Media via Getty Images)
1997 The cast of “Dawson’s Creek.” From left to right: Katie Holmes (Joey Potter), James Van Der Beek (Dawson Leery), Michelle Williams (Jennifer Lindley) and Joshua Jackson (Pacey).
Van Der Beek shared his cancer diagnosis in an interview with People in November 2024.
“I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he told the outlet.
“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good,” he said at the time.
Rates of colorectal cancer, which includes colon cancer and rectal cancer, have been increasing in younger adults, and health experts are still trying to understand why.
It was the third-most common cancer diagnosis for both sexes in 2025, after breast cancer (for women), prostate cancer (for men) and lung cancer (for both men and women). It’s second-most common cause of cancer death.
Rectal cancer was also revealed as an underlying cause in the death of actress Catherine O’Hara.
Van Der Beek quickly achieved stardom as a young actor on the show “Dawson’s Creek,” which premiered in 1998. A year later, he starred in “Varsity Blues,” for which he won an MTV Movie Award.
He went on to act in “CSI: Cyber,” “Criminal Minds,” “One Tree Hill,” and other works, but was forever connected to “Dawson’s Creek,” which ran from 1998 to 2003 on The WB.
The series followed a group of high-school friends as they learned about love, creating friendships and finding their footing in life. Van Der Beek, then 20, played 15-year-old Dawson Leery, who aspired to be a director of Steven Spielberg-quality.
Van Der Beek sometimes struggled to get out from under the shadow of the show but eventually leaned into lampooning himself, like in “Funny Or Die” videos, the sitcom “Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23,” and in Kesha’s “Blow” music video, which included a laser gun battle with the pop star in a nightclub, resulting in numerous dead unicorns.
“It’s tough to compete with something that was the cultural phenomenon that ‘Dawson’s Creek’ was,” he told Vulture in 2013. “It ran for so long. That’s a lot of hours playing one character in front of people. So it’s natural that they associate you with that.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
