James Van Der Beek has died following a diagnosis of colorectal cancer. He was 48.
The actor was best known for his role as a teen heartthrob in Varsity Blues and Dawson’s Creek, which had a history-making gay kiss between his co-star Kerr Smith and Adam Kaufman at a time when two men had never kissed on U.S. network television before.
Van Der Beek’s death was announced on his official Instagram page on Wednesday, Feb. 11, alongside a photo of the actor, captioned, ”Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning.
The statement continued, “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.”
Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023 and went public with his health struggles in November 2024.
After playing Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creek, Van Der Beek went on to star in Don’t Trust the B—- In Apartment 23, appeared in the first season of Pose, and last year was in two episodes of Overcompensating.
Fans will have one more opportunity to see the actor on their screen in his final role in the highly anticipated Legally Blonde prequel TV series called Elle.’
He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, whom he married in 2010, and their six children.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.out.com ’
