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and his wife Kimberly made the decision to leave and embrace a more quiet life in in 2020.
The Dawson's Creek star — who at the age of 48 following a two-year battle with colorectal — and his family swapped their Beverly Hills home for a 36-acre
The decision was partly influenced by their children, with the late sharing that he wanted them to be closer to nature, in a 2021 interview with Austin Life.
'We wanted to give the children space and we wanted them to live in nature,' the actor said.
It also followed a string of heartbreaks for the pair. Van Der Beek lost his mother Melinda Weber in July 2020, and Kimberly suffered five miscarriages, including two late-term.
Van Der Beek and his wife share daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, nine, and Gwendolyn, seven, as well as sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, four.
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James Van Der Beek — who died on Wednesday at the age of 48 — and his wife Kimberly made the decision to leave Los Angeles and embrace a more quiet life in Texas in 2020
'It's a magical place. There's an energy [in Austin] that transcends any one religion or ideology,' Van Der Beek said of his new home base.
He added that Texas appealed to him because it is 'different' and a 'hands-on way of life' which he had been craving.
The couple also shared how they felt a sense of community in Texas.
Van Der Beek announced the move in an Instagram post in September 2020, sharing a few snaps of their empty house in Beverly Hills
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The actor, who also starred in Varsity Blues, One Tree Hill and CSI: Cyber, said he was 'overflowing with profound gratitude' amid the change in his life.
