‘Dawson’s Creek’ actor James Van Der Beek dies

Actor James Van Der Beek, who was battling colorectal cancer, has died at the age of 48.

A post on his official Facebook page said that he died peacefully on Wednesday morning.

TMZ was first to report the news, citing a representative of the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office. The representative said the office was told of his death at 6:44 a.m. and no cause of death was provided.

Van Der Beek shared in November 2024 that he had been diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer, NBC News reported.

“I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before,” he wrote on social media at the time. “Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support.”

He would frequently share details about living with cancer. Van Der Beek had been scheduled to appear at a reunion with his “Dawson’s Creek” castmates in September but had to drop out due to health reasons. Part of the reunion was a table read of the show’s pilot. His role was read by Lin-Manuel Miranda, but Van Der Beek appeared via a video statement.

“I can’t believe I don’t get to hug my cast mates. I wanted to stand on that stage and thank every single person in this theater for being here tonight,” he said in the video before the reading began, according to Variety.

The show was a benefit developed by Van Der Beek’s “Dawson’s Creek” co-star Michelle Williams.

“This is the evening I’d been looking forward to MOST since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together, way back in January… So you 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,” Van Der Beek said on Instagram before the performance. “Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there. I won’t 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.”

Van Der Beek was born in 1977 in Connecticut and was a child actor, appearing in school plays and eventually in an off-Broadway production of “Finding the Sun,” NBC News reported.

His first credited movie role was in 1995’s “Angus,” but his big break was in 1998’s “Dawson’s Creek.”

He also took his television success and translated it to the big screen, appearing in “Varsity Blues” and cameos in “Scary Movie” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.”

Van Der Beek continued acting in several guest spots on shows such as “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Criminal Minds.”

He had a role in the upcoming television series, “Elle,” which, according to IMDB is in post-production and is the prequel to “Legally Blonde.”

Van Der Beek leaves behind his wife and six children.

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