Van Der Beek is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their six children, Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah. Shortly after announcing Van Der Beek\u2019s death via a post on Instagram<\/a> on Wednesday, Kimberly published a link to a GoFundMe <\/a>to help with expenses relating to his extended medical treatment.<\/p>\n \u201cMy friends created this link to support me and my children during this time,\u201d she wrote. \u201cWith gratitude and a broken heart.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the fundraiser<\/a>, Van Der Beek\u2019s medical care costs \u201chave left the family out of funds\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are working hard to stay in their home and to ensure the children can continue their education and maintain some stability during this incredibly difficult time. The support of friends, family, and the wider community will make a world of difference as they navigate the road ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n The fundraiser target was initially set at $500,000, but four hours after it was published, with donations from more than 7,000 individuals already approaching that amount, the target had been adjusted to $700,000. At time of writing, it had been adjusted to $1m.<\/p>\n Van Der Beek had been open about the stress of medical expenses. Shortly after announcing his cancer diagnosis<\/a> in November 2024, he started auctioning off memorabilia from the movie Varsity Blues<\/a>, in which he played a high school quarterback, to help with treatment costs for himself and other cancer patients.<\/p>\n At the time, he wrote on Instagram<\/a>: \u201c100% of my net proceeds will go to families recovering from the financial burden of cancer (including my own \ud83d\ude07).\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Dawson\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/3866.jpg\")
Dawson\u2019s Creek star James Van Der Beek dies aged 48 \u2013 video obituary<\/p>\n