Alfonso Ribeiro shared a picture of his last moment with James Van Der Beek, before the actor died Wednesday following a nearly three-year battle with colorectal cancer.
Ribeiro posted the intimate photo on Instagram Thursday, showing him holding Van Der Beek close at his bedside. The “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alum looked visibly emotional as he cradled Van Der Beek’s head.
Ribeiro shard that the photo was taken by Van Der Beek’s wife, Kimberly, just a few minutes before he said his “last goodbye.”
“My last moment was making him laugh one last time,” he wrote. “I really miss him already.”
He also shared a picture of the two in happier times on his Instagram Stories, writing, “So much love lived in this friendship.”
Van Der Beek competed on Season 28 of “Dancing with the Stars” — which Ribeiro co-hosts with Julianne Hough — with pro dance partner Emma Slater in 2019.
Ribeiro previously shared he was “broken” by the death of his close friend and revealed that he’s the godfather of Van Der Beek’s 7-year-old daughter, Gwendolyn.
“He was my true friend brother and life guide. I was with him through this horrible journey to beat cancer,” he wrote in a somber Instagram post.
He noted that he learned so much from his late friend and that James and Kimberly changed his life.
“I will forever be in debt for all they’ve given me and my family,” he wrote. “He will live forever in my heart. I will always be there for their children. I will always hold my role as Gwen’s Goddie daddy as one of the most important roles of my life.”
He concluded, “I love you James and know I have a guardian angel watching over me. Being able to say goodbye this weekend will always live with me. RIP my brother. RIP.”
Kimberly shared on Instagram that her husband “passed peacefully” Wednesday morning and “met his final days with courage, faith, and grace.”
Since then, there’s been an outpouring of support for the “Dawson’s Creek” alum.
A GoFundMe was set up by the actor’s friends to support Kimberly and their six children — Gwendolyn as well as Olivia, 14, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 8, and Jeremiah, 3 — which has already raised over $1 million.
The GoFundMe page noted that James’ family was “out of funds” due to bills associated with his illness and faced “an uncertain future.”
Celebrity donators included Zoe Saldana, who set up a recurring donation of $2,500 a month, as well as Derek Hough, Ricki Lake, Lydia Hearst and Kaley Cuoco.
James’ close friends have also publicly shared their heartbreaking final moments with him, including former WWE star Stacy Keibler, who posted a pic of the two enjoying a sunset. James appeared frail in the photo and sat in a wheelchair.
“Spending these final days with you has been a true gift from God,” Keibler wrote in part. “I have never been so present in my life.”
“The other night we watched the sunset together as you shared your wisdom, your hopes, and the promises we made to each other,” she continued.
“Maybe the lesson you leave us with is this: The present moment is everything. Love the people in front of you. Say the words. Watch the sunset. Trust God, even when you don’t understand.”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source pagesix.com ’
