It is with great sadness that we bring you news that James Van Der Beek, beloved star of Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues, has died at the age of 48 after a lengthy battle with colorectal cancer. The multi-talented actor and pop culture icon passed away today, Wednesday 11th February, as confirmed by his family on Instagram.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” wrote Van Der Beek’s family in a joint statement shared on the actor’s Instagram account. “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.”
Born on 8 March, 1977 in Cheshire, Connecticut, James David Van Der Beek knew what he wanted to do with his life from a young age and wasted no time chasing that dream down. Initially a self-professedly shy child with athletic aspirations, Van Der Beek caught the acting bug playing Reuben in a high school production of Joseph And His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat as a teen. By the age of 15, the budding young actor found himself heading for New York City with his mother in pursuit of work as a professional actor, and by the following year he’d already made his off-Broadway debut.
Ordinarily when writing about an actor’s life in retrospect, that tentative first step into the profession would be followed by a long list of credits in small roles here and there across stage and screen. When it comes to James Van Der Beek however, the truth is that after amassing scarcely a fistful of film and TV appearances while studying at Drew University, New Jersey — and a stint featuring in a campus acapella group — a then-twenty-year-old Van Der Beek auditioned for and landed the role of a lifetime: as budding filmmaker and helpless romantic Dawson Leery in Kevin Williamson’s small-town teen drama Dawson’s Creek.
The show that launched the careers of Van Der Beek and co-stars including Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams, Dawson’s Creek — which hinged, ultimately, on a love triangle between Dawson and his best friends Joey (Holmes) and Pacey (Jackson) that still stokes Team Dawson/Team Pacey to this day — ran for six seasons between 1998 and 2003, garnering a global following and cementing Van Der Beek’s heart-throb status with fans.
While some may look back on Dawson’s Creek now and think primarily of the memes (or, as Van Der Beek himself dubbed them, ‘Vandermemes’) and the series’ ever-escalating melodrama, across 122 episodes Van Der Beek brought real wit, warmth, and heart to the character of Dawson. His performance in Season 5 tearjerker ‘The Last Goodbye’ in particular, as Dawson processes the death of his father so soon after they’d reconciled with one another, really underlines Van Der Beek’s place as the series’ beating heart.
Varsity Blues (1999)
Directed by Brian Robbins
Shown: James Van Der Beek
While Dawson’s Creek will doubtless be looked back upon as James Van Der Beek’s defining role, the project that canonised him as an icon to millennials worldwide, he was a prolific presence on screens both big and small throughout his life. In 1999 he brought boyish charm to the role of underdog quarterback Mox in Brian Robbins’ American football drama Varsity Blues. In 2003, he deliciously subverted his squeaky clean Dawson’s Creek image as Sean Bateman, younger brother of American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman, in cult classic Bret Easton Ellis adaptation The Rules Of Attraction. Heading deeper into the noughties and 2010s there were memorable appearances in everything from Robot Chicken and Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 (the latter of which saw Van Der Beek play a brilliantly fictionalised version of himself opposite Krysten Ritter), to CSI: Cyber and Jay & Silent Bob Reboot. And to a whole generation of kids, he’ll be forever immortalised as the voice of vampire dad Boris in Disney’s Vampirina series.
Following his diagnosis with colorectal cancer in August 2023, James Van Der Beek went public about his condition in November 2024, remaining positive, upbeat, and indefatigable as he shared the peaks and troughs of his journey through social media while continuing to work and connect with his fans. In the final interview he gave before his death, Van Der Beek told PEOPLE that his diagnosis with cancer was “the best thing that ever happened to me,” explaining how being confronted with the worst possible news impelled him to make changes in his life to ensure he could enjoy “healthy, happy years” with his wife and young family. In the months before his death, Van Der Beek shot Legally Blonde prequel series Elle, which is set to release later this year.
In the hours since news of James Van Der Beek’s death broke, tributes have been pouring in from collaborators, peers, and loved ones alike. “I’m so sad for your beautiful family,” wrote Sarah Michelle Gellar in response to Van Der Beek’s family’s Instagram post. “While James’ legacy will always live on, this is a huge loss to not just your family but the world. Fuck Cancer.” Former Dawson’s Creek co-star Chad Michael Murray also commented, writing: “Sending love and light to your beautiful family. James was a giant. We’re so so so sorry for what you’re going through. His words, art and humanity inspired all of us — he inspired us to be better in all ways. God bless you guys.” Van Der Beek’s Rules Of Attraction director Roger Avary took to X to say, “I have never known anyone else quite like him, and rarely felt so close a working connection, and my heart is broken at the loss, and my thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children. God bless you, James. I love you forever.”
James Van Der Beek played a major part in the coming-of-age of an entire generation when he burst onto the scene in the mid-90s, and he will be remembered not only as a fine actor and an icon of popular culture, but perhaps more and most importantly as a good man — a devoted husband and father who held in life the eternally optimistic spirit he embodied on screen. Our thoughts are with his wife Kimberley, his six children, and the rest of his friends, family, and loved ones at this difficult time. He will be sorely missed.