Friends and fellow entertainers of the US actor James Van Der Beek shared photographs and personal recollections of his final days after his family announced his death on Wednesday, with tributes describing bedside visits, sunset conversations and a long battle with colorectal cancer.
Van Der Beek, best known for playing Dawson Leery in the teen drama series Dawson’s Creek, died on Feb. 11, aged 48, according to a statement posted on his and his wife’s Instagram accounts. “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” the statement said, adding: “He met his final days with courage, faith and grace.” It continued: “There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come.”
Within hours of the announcement, Van Der Beek’s friends posted images that appeared to show him in increasingly fragile health as they described spending time with him shortly before he died. Stacy Keibler, a former WWE performer, shared a photograph in which Van Der Beek appeared in a wheelchair as she crouched beside him while they looked out towards a sunset. In a caption posted on Instagram, Keibler wrote: “Spending these final days with you has been a true gift from God. I have never been so present in my life.” She added: “When you know time is sacred, you don’t waste a single breath. You don’t rush. You don’t scroll. You don’t worry about tomorrow. You sit. You listen. You hold hands. You watch the sky change colors and you let it change you too.”
Keibler said they had watched the sunset together as Van Der Beek shared “your wisdom, your hopes, and the promises we made to each other.” She wrote that he “taught [her] more about being present than any book ever could,” and said he had shown her “what it looks like to trust God’s plan.” She also described him as an “incredible husband” and “extraordinary dad” throughout a “years-long cancer battle,” and ended her message with: “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.”
Fashion designer Erin Fetherston also posted a series of images and messages, including a photograph in which she appeared to be holding Van Der Beek’s hand as he lay in a bed. “Brother James, You were loved by the whole world, but to us — you were Uncle James,” she wrote on Instagram. In her tribute, she thanked him for “always showing up” and said it was “an honor” to be his friend. Fetherston said she would look after his family.
Alfonso Ribeiro, the US actor and television host, also shared a photograph and an Instagram message in which he described being alongside Van Der Beek during the illness. “I was with him through this horrible journey to beat cancer,” Ribeiro wrote. “His family and friends went on this roller coaster ride. The highs when it looked like he had it beat to the breaking lows of it coming back. I’ve learned so much from James.” Ribeiro said he had been able to say goodbye in the days before Van Der Beek’s death and called him a “brother,” adding: “I love you James and know I have a guardian angel watching over me.”
The Page Six report that first collected several of the posts said Van Der Beek’s friends shared “intimate photos” from his final days and described recent conversations, visits and moments with his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, and their children. Keibler’s post referenced his role as a father to six children, naming Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah. Ribeiro wrote that he was godfather to one of Van Der Beek’s daughters and said it was “one of the most important” roles in his life.
Van Der Beek’s wife did not provide further detail about where he died or the circumstances leading up to his final hours, but her statement described him as facing the end “with courage, faith and grace.” Reuters reported that Van Der Beek had revealed his cancer diagnosis publicly in 2024, and that it was discovered during a routine colonoscopy. Sky News also reported that he had said in 2024 that he had been diagnosed with bowel cancer.
In interviews and public posts during his illness, Van Der Beek spoke about trying to balance work, family life and treatment, according to People. The couple, who married in 2010, lived outside Los Angeles in recent years and frequently shared family photographs and updates online, including images of their children. After the death announcement, People reported that Kimberly Van Der Beek posted an emotional message describing his final days and the family’s grief, again repeating the wording that he had “passed peacefully” and had met his final days with “courage, faith and grace.”
Van Der Beek rose to fame in the late 1990s when Dawson’s Creek became one of the defining teen dramas of its era, running for six seasons and turning its young cast into household names. He played Dawson, an earnest aspiring filmmaker navigating adolescence in a small coastal town, a role that made him a fixture of youth culture and earned him a devoted fan base. The show’s popularity made Van Der Beek synonymous with its central character, a point he sometimes acknowledged with humour in later years through cameos and satirical appearances that played on his public image.
Beyond Dawson’s Creek, he appeared in films including Varsity Blues and The Rules of Attraction, and later took roles across television and streaming projects. Reuters noted he had appeared in more than 60 film and television productions during his career. He also competed on reality television, including Dancing With the Stars, and maintained an active presence on social media.
The tributes posted after his death repeatedly returned to the theme of presence and time, with friends describing quiet moments rather than public events. Keibler wrote that knowing time was limited changed how she behaved around him: “You don’t rush. You don’t scroll. You don’t worry about tomorrow.” Her message described sitting, listening and watching the sunset with him, presenting it as a final shared ritual. Ribeiro, meanwhile, framed the cancer battle as a “roller coaster ride,” describing optimism when treatment seemed to work and despair when the disease returned.
Fetherston’s tribute also suggested a long personal connection beyond public appearances. Her reference to Van Der Beek as “Uncle James” indicated a role within her family’s private life, and her promise to look after his wife and children echoed similar sentiments expressed by others in their circle, reflecting how close friends often rally around surviving family members after a death.
Van Der Beek’s wife signalled that the family intended to speak more publicly about his wishes and broader message later. “There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time,” the statement said. “Those days will come.” For now, the public record of his final days has largely been shaped by the photographs and captions posted by those who visited him, showing a man whose friends said remained focused on faith, family and gratitude even as his health declined.
Van Der Beek is survived by his wife and their six children.
