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James Van Der Beek, the actor who endeared himself to a generation of television viewers as the star of the teen melodrama “Dawson’s Creek,” died Wednesday.
He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” Kimberly Van Der Beek, his wife, said on Instagram. “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,” she added.
In early November 2024, Van Der Beek announced he had been diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer.
Van Der Beek was best known for playing Dawson Leery, the earnest, introspective aspiring filmmaker at the center of the WB’s “Dawson’s Creek.” The show ran for six seasons and became a classic of the teen drama genre.
“The little pilot we shot in that small town for that fledgling network aired, changed our lives and launched our careers,” Van Der Beek wrote in a Jan. 25, 2018, post on Instagram in honor of the show’s 20th anniversary.
The series turned Van Der Beek into a youth heartthrob and catapulted him into the national limelight. He appeared on magazine covers and regularly found himself surrounded by adoring teenagers — a taste of pre-internet fame he later discussed with a tone of amusement.
