{"id":2278381,"date":"2026-02-12T03:32:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T03:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2278381"},"modified":"2026-02-12T03:32:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T03:32:22","slug":"busy-philipps-shares-tribute-after-james-van-der-beeks-death-at-48","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/busy-philipps-shares-tribute-after-james-van-der-beeks-death-at-48\/","title":{"rendered":"Busy Philipps Shares Tribute After James Van Der Beek’s Death at 48"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Busy Philipps<\/strong><\/a> shared loving words for James Van Der Beek<\/strong><\/a> after his death at age 48.<\/p>\n

Philipps, 46, shared a sweet tribute for Van Der Beek, who died after a battle with colorectal cancer on Wednesday, February 11.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy heart is deeply hurting for all of us today\u2026every person who knew James and loved him, anyone who loved his work or had the pleasure of meeting him, all of his dear friends and community that surrounded him as he battled this illness, especially his parents and brother and sister,\u201d she captioned a post via Instagram<\/a>. \u201cBut I am profoundly heartbroken for his incredible wife Kimberly and their six magical children. There is a go fund me for them to help out and i\u2019ll put the link in my stories. James Van Der Beek was one in a billion and he will be forever missed and i don\u2019t know what else to say. i am just so so sad. He was my friend and i loved him and i\u2019m so grateful for our friendship all these years.\u2764\ufe0f.\u201d<\/p>\n

Philipps\u2019 message comes after the actor\u2019s official Instagram account announced the news of his death.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Busy Philipps Is ‘Really Trying Figure Out’ Reunion With ‘Dawson’s’ Cast<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tDawson\u2019s Creek costars Busy Philipps, Michelle Williams and Katie Holmes are in the process of organizing a reunion in support of James Van Der Beek. \u201cWe\u2019re really trying to figure something out, but there are a couple of people who have some work things that cannot be moved,\u201d Philipps, 45, recently told Us Weekly exclusively [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOur beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,\u201d the statement read alongside a headshot of the late actor. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Der Beek was pronounced dead at 6:44 a.m. on Wednesday, the Travis County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office confirmed to Us Weekly<\/em>. A medical professional made the call to the examiner\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Philipps and Van Der Beek met while filming <\/a>Dawson\u2019s Creek<\/a> i<\/em>n 2001, when she joined the cast for seasons 5 and 6. Since then, they\u2019ve kept a close friendship.<\/p>\n

In September 2025, Philipps got emotional while opening up about the Dawson\u2019s Creek<\/strong> reunion in New York City, which Michelle Williams<\/strong> organized to benefit the late star\u2019s fight against cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so glad that Kimberly [Van Der Beek]<\/strong> and all the kids [were there],\u201d she said, referring to his wife and their six children<\/a>, Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Elilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4. She teared up while saying it was \u201cheartbreaking\u201d that the actor was unable to attend the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just really beautiful,\u201d she said. \u201cJames [was] getting lots of videos and Facetimes and texts and things. We just love him so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

James opened up about feeling gutted for missing the reunion because of \u201ctwo stomach viruses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can imagine how gutted I was when two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission and keep me grounded at the worst possible moment,\u201d he wrote via Instagram ahead of the event. \u201cDespite every effort \u2026 I won\u2019t get to be there. I won\u2019t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.\u201d<\/p>\n

James announced his stage 3 diagnosis<\/a> in November 2024 during an interview with People<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s reason for optimism, and I\u2019m feeling good.\u201d<\/p>\n

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