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James Van Der Beek death: Dawson’s Creek star dies aged 48 after cancer battle

James Van Der Beek, the beloved actor best known for his roles in Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues, has died.

Max Corstorphan
The Nightly
James Van Der Beek has died aged 48.
James Van Der Beek has died aged 48. Credit: AAP

James Van Der Beek, a beloved actor best known for his roles in Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues, has died.

The star, who revealed in 2024 that he had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, died peacefully, his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek said in a statement.

“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” she wrote on Instagram.

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“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.”

When the star revealed he had stage three cancer, Van Der Beek told PEOPLE that he and his family were managing the cancer journey privately.

“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family.”

“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.

Van Der Beek consulted medical professionals in 2023 after noticing a change in his bowel habits.

“It was just a change in bowel habits,” he explained.

“I thought, I probably need to change my diet a little bit. Maybe I need to stop coffee. Maybe I need to not put cream in the coffee. And then I finally took that out of the diet, and it didn’t improve, and I thought, all right, I better go get this checked out.”

“I felt really, really good as I was coming out of anesthesia that I had finally done it and looked into it

“And as I was coming out of the haze, the gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — it is cancer.”

More to come...

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