James Van der beek passes away at 48

By Chelsea Natale, 2027

Published 2/11/26

Born and raised here in Cheshire, James Van Der Beek rose to fame in the late 90’s thanks to playing Dawson Leery on the TV drama Dawson’s Creek. Previously, Van Der Beek had attended school at Highland Elementary, Dodd, and Cheshire Academy. He would graduate high school in 1995 and made his way to Drew University, where he was a student when cast in Dawson’s Creek at 20-years-old.

From 1998 to 2003, Dawson’s Creek became extremely popular, launching James Van Der Beek and his co-stars into stardom. Throughout his time on Dawson’s Creek, Van Der Beek also starred in various movies such as Varsity Blues in 1999 and The Rules to Attraction in 2002. He would also host an episode of SNL in January of 1999. He would also go on to take roles in Don’t Trust The B— In Apartment 23, What Would Diplo Do, and kids show Vamparina. 

In 2023, Van Der Beek was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, a type of cancer that starts with abnormal growths and spreads to organs like the colon. He wouldn’t share the diagnosis with the public until November 2024. On February 11th, 2026, James Van Der Beek’s family posted on his social media, announcing that he had sadly passed away.

Van Der Beek's Dawson’s Creek co-star Busy Philips also paid tribute to her former co-star and friend. Online, she shared a fundraiser to help support the family of James Van Der Beek. Other stars such as Sarah Michelle Gellar from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jenifer Garner, and director Olivia Munn all shared their condolences in statements online. James Van Der Beek left behind his wife Kimberly and his six kids.