James Van Der Beek – who a whole generation knew and loved for being Dawson Leery in the teen show Dawson’s Creek – has died at the age of 48, after having bowel cancer. His family told people on social media that, in his last days, he was brave, had faith and was graceful.
Family says when he died, and what he died of
The actor’s family said in a statement that he died peacefully, and asked to be left alone while they are sad about losing a good husband, father, son, brother and friend. Van Der Beek – a dad of six – was told he had bowel cancer towards the end of 2023, and told the public about it in November 2024.
He first realised there was something wrong with his health because of changes to his bowel movements, so he had medical tests. Doctors found the cancer had got to stage three and gone to his lymph nodes. Even when he was getting treatment, people who knew him say he still thought about his family and work, and helping people who were in the same position.
Van Der Beek is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their children: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah. The family said there is a lot more to say about what he wanted, his love for everyone, and how much he valued time.
From teen drama star to actor who could do anything
Van Der Beek became very well known in 1998 when Dawson’s Creek started, and the show quickly became a key part of the culture. He played Dawson Leery – a teen who loved films, and who was dealing with love and friendship in the made-up town of Capeside. The show went on until 2003, and helped make what TV for teens and young adults was.
His role was the main one in a group of actors that included Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson, and the show’s open and honest talk, and real emotions, set how later shows about growing up would be. Some famous scenes turned into short words people used on the internet – like one sad moment which became a GIF people shared a lot, years after the show finished.
Van Der Beek’s success on TV led to good parts in films, most clearly in Varsity Blues, where he played a clever football player who was suddenly famous. Later, he went against the idea of him being a handsome man by playing funny roles and appearing as himself in some shows, making fun of himself in short videos and music that showed how much he could do, and how he was happy to play roles that were not what people expected.
He kept building a different TV career, appearing in things such as Don’t Trust the B- in Apartment 23, CSI: Cyber, and the funny What Would Diplo Do?. He got to the semi-finals of Dancing with the Stars, and pleased fans with parts where he was a guest, and which had both humour and emotion. In films, he was in The Rules of Attraction, and in Jay and Silent Bob films over twenty years. In 2025, he was found to be Griffin on The Masked Singer after doing shows people in the audience enjoyed.
Talking openly about cancer, and helping others
While he was getting treatment, Van Der Beek spoke openly about how serious illness made you feel. He said he was trying to work out who he was and what his purpose was, when work and normal life had to stop. ‘All these good things that I love, and I used to think of as what I was – a father, someone who earned money, a husband – all that was taken away, or at least stopped,’ he said. ‘I had to sit and ask, Well, what am I? And the answer was, I am still someone who deserves to be loved.’
Wanting to make his experience useful, he began to speak for early tests, and told people to pay attention to what their bodies were telling them. ‘If I can save anyone from having to go through this, that’s magic,’ he said in one interview. Even when he was ill, he kept working, including doing a recent part as a guest in the Prime Video comedy Overcompensating. He also took part in a Dawson’s Creek charity get-together online – it helped raise money for F Cancer, a group which helps people with cancer and does cancer research. During a live reading of the show’s first episode at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, he suddenly appeared in a video, and thanked everyone for helping the charity. Lin-Manuel Miranda stood in for him on stage that night.
Understand the symptoms and why checking early is important
Van Der Beek’s work with the public was about making people aware. Doctors often say to talk to your doctor about ways to be checked for bowel cancer, particularly if cancer runs in your family, or if you have symptoms which won’t go away. Things to look out for are changes to how often you go to the toilet, losing weight without trying, blood in your poo, pain in your stomach, or being tired all the time.
Tests – like a colonoscopy and tests on poo – can find cancer when it is easiest to cure. Van Der Beek’s advice was simple: don’t ignore symptoms, and get medical help quickly. He helped a wider public health drive to make people less ashamed, get people to talk, and save lives by finding cancer early.
Lots of praise from Hollywood and his fans
People he’d worked with and friends in the entertainment world sent in lots of tributes. Busy Philipps said her heart was very sore, and sent love to his fans and family. Sarah Michelle Gellar said that while he would always be remembered, his death was a huge loss for his family and for the world.
Jennifer Garner said his death was terribly sad, and gave her support to his wife, Kimberly, and their children. Olivia Munn said she was praying for his family, and model Tess Holliday sent her sympathy. The official Dawson’s Creek accounts celebrated his long-lasting effect, saying his part as Dawson Leery still means a lot to people of all ages.
The actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, recognised Van Der Beek’s honesty, depth, and kindness – things which were clear in all the parts he played, in all kinds of shows. Close friend and actor Hal Ozsan wrote that there would be a “James-sized hole” in his heart for the rest of his life; this showed how very sad those who knew him best were.
A life which changed TV and popular culture
Dawson’s Creek changed youth TV with its honest stories and brave talks about relationships and who people were. Shows which came after it have to thank it for its open feelings and the way it showed teenagers as complicated, clever people who were finding their way in a difficult world.
Van Der Beek enjoyed this history, with humour and being humble – he often made jokes about the image which made him famous, but showed he could do much more. He once joked that he was a clown stuck in the body of a leading man, a comment which fans and people he worked with said showed how generous he was.
Growing up in Cheshire, Connecticut, he got into acting after a knock to the head when playing football stopped him as a teenager. Being in a school show of Grease led to parts off-Broadway, including in a play by Edward Albee and a show at Goodspeed Opera House. He got a place at Drew University with a scholarship, but left when Dawson’s Creek came along. In 2024, he went back to get an honorary degree for his work with the community and for his commitment to it.
He will be remembered not just for a part which showed what a time was like, but for the kindness he gave to sets, interviews and when he met fans. “Edge is short-lived, but heart lasts forever” – a line often linked to Dawson’s Creek – now seems to sum up Van Der Beek’s life and what he will be remembered for. In sadness, both friends and fans are holding on to that kindness.
