James Van Der Beek Dead at 48

James Van Der Beek has died amid his battle with colorectal cancer. He was 48.

“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” a statement from the Dawson’s Creek actor’s wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, announced on his Instagram page Wednesday. “He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace.”

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“There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come,” the statement continued. “For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”

TMZ was first to report the news. No cause of death was given, but the actor was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2023.

Van Der Beek was meant to join his Dawson’s Creek castmates for a reunion benefit in September, but was forced to drop out due to health reasons.

The Varsity Blues actor, who shared his diagnosis with the public in November 2024, sat down with the TODAY show’s Craig Melvin in December to share an update on his health.

“It’s been a longer journey than I ever thought it would be. It’s required more of me — more patience, more discipline. More strength than I knew I had. I knew I was strong, I didn’t know I was this strong,” Van Der Beek said at the time.

The actor revealed that he was first diagnosed with cancer after undergoing a colonoscopy meant to address a change in his bowel habits.

“I went into shock,” he recalled. “But you know, one of the things I was really lucky about was as soon as I heard the news, I thought, ‘This is gonna be the best thing to ever happen to me.’ … I had this little voice in my head that said, ‘You’re gonna make changes in your life that you would never, ever make if you didn’t have this extreme of a diagnosis, and it’s gonna add healthy, happy years to your life.’”

The actor, whose film credits also include Texas Rangers (2001), The Rules of Attraction (2002), Formosa Betrayed (2009), Labor Day (2013), and Bad Hair (2020), said he learned to “slow down” amid his battle with cancer and to explore “self-love.”

“What I realized was, I’m still worthy of love. My own love, God’s love,” said the father of six, adding, “Before cancer, God was something I tried to fit into my life as much as possible. After cancer, I feel like a connection to God, whatever that is, is kind of the whole point of this exercise on this planet. …To be good stewards of our relationships with other people, and in doing so, connecting to whatever that force of God’s love is.”