James Van Der Beek Dies at 48 After Cancer

Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek has died aged 48 after a public two-year battle with colorectal cancer.

The actor's loved ones confirmed his passing in an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday.

It read: 'Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. 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.'

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lucy Hale, Christie Brinkley and Rumer Willis all hit the like button within minutes.

He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their six children.

Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek has died aged 48 after a public battle with colorectal cancer

Van Der Beek starred alongside Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams in the beloved series Dawson's Creek, which ran for six seasons

The actor and his wife share daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, nine, and Gwendolyn, seven, as well as sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, four.

The star was open about his cancer battle and often updated fans on social media.

'I feel a little bit better every month. It’s required more of me — more patience, more discipline,' he said last year when addressing his weight loss. 'More strength than I knew I had. I knew I was strong, I didn't know I was this strong,' the star said in the emotional conversation.

His last Instagram post was on January 25 where he looked slender but healthy. He was wishing his daughter and father a happy birthday.

When announcing his battle with colorectal cancer, James told People he was getting through the health ordeal with the 'support of my incredible family.'

And he slowed down dramatically in the past two years: 'The beauty of just taking things a little bit more slowly and prioritizing rest and really allowing that to be the job, I'm just on the journey,' he during an interview on Today. The actor added, 'It's a process. It'll probably be a process for the rest of my life.'

The star had moved from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas with his family in 2020 for a simpler life.

Van Der Beek shot to fame in the 90s as Dawson's Creek teen heartthrob Dawson Leery when he was 20 years old.

The drama ran for six seasons on the WB Network between 1998 and 2003 and also launched the careers of Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson.

His family shared a heartbreaking post about his passing on Wednesday. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lucy Hale, Christie Brinkley and Rumer Willis all hit the like button within minutes

The actor worried fans when he looked noticeably thinner as he appeared virtually at a Dawson's Creek reunion in September

On the show, Katie portrayed Dawson's childhood love, Joey Potter, while Joshua played their other friend and Joey's true love, Pacey Witter. Michelle completed the core group as the rebellious Jen Lindley.

In his early days, Van Der Beek wasn't prepared for the level of fame that came with playing the lead role in the high school drama.

'Getting recognized is something that took me a long time... I had a big learning curve on it,' he told People in 2024.

'It was a different interaction back then. Now, it's a lot more grown-up, and back then, I was so tortured about it because I loved being an observer and a fly on the wall and having random conversations with people.

'I remember being so broken up about the fact that those random conversations or random acts of kindness were now taken away because there was this thing called "celebrity" in between me and somebody else, and it became the center of attention.'

Van Der Beek — who shares six kids with wife Kimberly — revealed his stage three colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024; Pictured with his wife and kids in an Instagram snap

One of his last red carpet appearances was at the Los Angeles premiere of the series Overcompensating at Hollywood Palladium on May 14, 2025

Despite having to overcome dealing with global fame, Van Der Beek ultimately treasured his time on Dawson's Creek.

In recent years too, he very much delighted in reconnecting with his former cast mates, and in August 2025, it was announced that he and the cast would be reuniting for a live reading of the show's pilot episode.

The celebration was a one-night-only charity event to raise money for the nonprofit F Cancer and for Van Der Beek amid his cancer journey.

Days before the event was due to take place, however, Van Der Beek was devastated to announce that he had to pull out of the appearance due to illness.

Expressing his disappointment in a pre-recorded video which played on the night, he told fans: 'I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together.

What is colorectal cancer?

Colon cancer is a growth of cells that begins in a part of the large intestine called the colon, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The colon is the first and longest part of the large intestine. The large intestine is the last part of the digestive system. The digestive system breaks down food for the body to use.

Colon cancer typically affects older adults, though it can happen at any age. It usually begins as small clumps of cells called polyps that form inside the colon. Polyps generally aren't cancerous, but some can turn into colon cancers over time.

Polyps often don't cause symptoms. For this reason, doctors recommend regular screening tests to look for polyps in the colon. Finding and removing polyps helps prevent colon cancer.

If colon cancer develops, many treatments can help control it. Treatments include surgery, radiation therapy and medicines, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

Colon cancer is sometimes called colorectal cancer. This term combines colon cancer and rectal cancer, which begins in the rectum.

Many people with colon cancer don't have symptoms at first. When symptoms appear, they'll likely depend on the cancer's size and where it is in the large intestine.

Symptoms of colon cancer can include: A change in bowel habits, such as more frequent diarrhea or constipation, rectal bleeding or blood in the stool, ongoing discomfort in the belly area, such as cramps, gas or pain, a feeling that the bowel doesn't empty all the way during a bowel movement, weakness or tiredness, osing weight without trying.