The “Dawson’s Creek” alum announced his stage 3 colorectal cancer in November 2024, and died less than a year and a half later at age 48.

What James Van Der Beek said about his battle with cancer before his death

The "Dawson's Creek" alum announced his stage 3 colorectal cancer in November 2024, and died less than a year and a half later at age 48.

By Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum is a staff writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2019 and is a published author. Her work has previously appeared in *TV Guide Magazine*, E! News/E! Online, *The Hollywood Reporter*, Mashable, Bustle, IGN, DCComics.com, Inverse, *The Daily Northwestern*, and more.

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February 11, 2026 3:13 p.m. ET

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James Van Der Beek. Credit:

Phillip Faraone/WireImage

Before his death, James Van Der Beek revealed that he was battling cancer.

The beloved *Dawson's Creek* star died at age 48 on Wednesday, Feb. 11, his wife, Kimberly, announced in a statement on his social media accounts.

"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," her statement said. "He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. 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."

A cause of death has not been shared at the time of publishing, but the actor previously opened up about his diagnosis of stage 3 colorectal cancer in November 2024.

James Van Der Beek on May 2, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

Rick Kern/Getty

According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer starts in the colon or the rectum, and it has become more common in otherwise healthy adults under 55 (one in five new colorectal cancer diagnoses are among people under the age of 55, which has increased from one in 10 in 1995). Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer at age 46.

"That's one of the reasons I want to talk about it and *the* reason I'm talking about it so openly," Van Der Beek told PEOPLE days after publicly revealing his diagnosis. "I've been dealing with this pretty much in secret for a while, and in the past, I've found it helpful and cathartic to share things publicly. And I've found a lot of support that way. But more than that, I really wanted to raise awareness."

The actor said that he was shocked by his diagnosis, which he first learned of in 2023, because he had no family history of cancer, and that he was otherwise healthy since he was serious about taking care of his body through exercise and nutrition.

"I'd always associated cancer with age and with unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles," he said. "But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy — or as far as I knew it at the time."

Van Der Beek said that he started to notice changes in his bowel movements in the summer of 2023, and assumed it was because of his diet. He cut coffee and cream out of his daily routine, but didn't notice any improvements.

James Van Der Beek celebrates his 46th birthday with his six children.

James Van Der Beek/Instagram

"I thought, 'All right, I better get this checked out,'" he recalled, and got a colonoscopy. "I felt really good coming out of anesthesia, that I'd finally done it. Then the gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — that it was cancer. I think I went into shock."

The actor immediately started getting treatments, but didn't share specific details about any surgeries or chemotherapy he was potentially undergoing. "If you’ve heard about it, I’ve probably touched on it," he said.

Van Der Beek was unable to attend a September 2025 *Dawson's Creek* reunion charity event in person due to "two stomach viruses," so he made a surprise appearance via a prerecorded video instead. His gaunt appearance on camera sparked overwhelming concern from fans who worried that his cancer was taking a turn, but the actor clarified that his weight loss was "not cancer-related" in an interview with *Today* show cohost Craig Melvin in December 2025.

"I'd lost so much weight because of the stomach virus," Van Der Beek said. "No, it was not cancer-related. Although with cancer everything's like, 'Why don't we super-size that stomach virus?'"

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Van Der Beek's wife and their six children attended the charity reunion event in his place, where two of his daughters went onstage to sing the show's theme song — Paula Cole's "I Don't Want to Wait" — with his former costars Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Busy Philipps, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, and Meredith Monroe.

"As crushed as I was not being able to go to that *Dawson's Creek* reunion, my family got to go. And I was Zooming in on that night, and they got a standing ovation just for taking their seats," Van Der Beek recalled, smiling. "And all that love that would have otherwise been directed at me, was directed at my family. It was just one of the most beautiful moments I've ever gotten to witness. I'm just so grateful to the fans for doing that."

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During that interview, Van Der Beek stated that he felt "much, much better than I did a couple months ago."

"It's been a longer journey than I ever thought it would be," he added, referring to his cancer battle. "It's required more of me — more patience, more discipline, more strength than I knew I had. I knew I was strong. I didn't know I was this strong. But I feel good."

Although the actor shared that he was "trying a bunch of stuff" as he continued cancer treatment, he once again declined to be specific about what he was doing or how it was going. But he opened up about his difficult emotional journey through it all.

"In private moments, for sure, I break down and get scared and feel weak," he said. "And it's just all part of the journey. The hardest part has been the patience this has required as I'll, say, make a plan and then not be able to follow through on it."

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