‘Dawson’s Creek’ Star James Van Der Beek Dead at 48

James Van Der Beek, beloved for his work on Dawson’s Creek, has died. He was 48.

The news was confirmed Wednesday, February 11, in a statement shared on his Instagram account.

“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” the statement read. “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.”

According to TMZ, a representative for the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office said the actor’s death was reported to them at 6:44 a.m.

The actor was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in August 2023, but he did not make his health news public until November 2024.

Van Der Beek rose to fame in the late 90s as the face of Dawson’s Creek. Last year, he planned to reunite with his fellow cast members in September, but had to drop out at the last minute.

Born on March 8, 1977, in Connecticut, Van Der Beek initially dreamed of becoming an athlete, but he was bit by the acting bug in his teens. By age 20, he had booked the role that would define his early career: Dawson Leery on Dawson’s Creek.

The series ran from 1998 to 2003 and launched the careers of costars Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson.

His career later expanded into a mix of film and TV roles as well as stage appearances, including a turn on Dancing with the Stars in 2019.

In his personal life, after divorcing actress Heather McComb, he met his second wife, Kimberly, on a trip to Israel in 2009. They share six children: Olivia in 2010, Joshua in 2012, Annabel Leah in 2014, Emilia in 2016, Gwendolyn in 2018, and Jeremiah in 2021.

“This has been a crash course in the mastery of mind, body, and spirit,” he told the outlet at the time. “I thought, ‘This is either going to take me out of the body, or it’s going to teach me how to truly live in it.’”