Earlier this year, James Van Der Beek sadly passed away at the age of 48 following a battle with colorectal cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2023. Tributes to Van Der Beek have since poured in from fans and celebrities alike. At the same time, the Van Der Beek family continue to process their loss. James’ wife, Kimberly – who he married in 2010 – has been sharing her memories of him. She did that again on her late husband’s birthday by publishing photos, and she posted a video featuring one of her daughters.
The late lead actor of the Dawson’s Creek cast would’ve turned 49 on March 8, and his family seems to be choosing to celebrate the occasion instead of mourn. Kimberly Van Der Beek took to her Instagram stories to share a wide range of photos and videos, which represent memories of James. Some posts show him hanging out with any of his six kids, while others show him working or just relaxing. Kimberly also shared a photo of herself alongside her hubby, and dropped a sweet caption about missing him “tremendously”:
Such posts are certainly enough to get a person in their feels, and it’s honestly amazing to see the sheer number of posts Kimberly Van Der Beek has posted, as of this writing. Something that really hits hard is the fact that not only is she now without a husband, but their kids are now also without a husband. Despite that, if these posts exemplify anything, it’s that James was able to make memories with his little ones:
What really got me, though, was the message from the Van Der Beeks’ 9-year-old daughter, Emila. The little girl began the video, which Kimberly shared to Instagram, by acknowledging her father’s death and proceeding to say that she wanted to provide viewers with “tips” on how to handle the loss of a loved one. Emilia went on to say that the “number one” thing that helps her is to “talk” to her father, even if he “can’t hear” her. She also emphasized the importance of letting out emotions. Take a look at the tear-evoking clip:
I’m just downright impressed by the emotional maturity on display by Emilia Van Der Beek here. While she’s still handling the fact that her father is no longer with her, she’s already using her own experiences to help others, which is beyond admirable. On top of that, some other stars have since shared lovely reactions to the post like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Busy Philipps. Take a look:
- Busy Philipps: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️happy birthday James🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎
- Sarah Michelle Gellar: Happy bday James!!!
- Emma Slater: There are literally no words to express how highly I think of Emilia. There are no words, I think she’s the greatest role model ever. I was blown away by her when I saw her recently and I’m blown away now. I can’t wait to see what she does in her life, I’ll be there every step of the way!
- Rumer Willis: This is so profound and beautiful and such a testament to the incredible way you have raised your beautiful family. Happy Birthday James. We love you.
- Jamie Lynn Sigler: Thank you for sharing Emilia. You are your dad’s love and legacy with your beautiful family. We love you ❤️
Based on the response to Van Der Beek’s death, he was incredibly loved within the Hollywood community. Dawson’s alum Meredith Monroe shared a particularly emotional tribute to Van Der Beek, while good friend Alfonso Ribeiro also opened up about his last time seeing the Pose alum. At the same time, celebrities like Zoe Saldaña and Steven Spielberg contributed to the GoFundMe established for Van Der Beek’s family, as he was dealing with various medical bills ahead of his passing.
James Van Der Beek’s death is still a hard pill to swallow in many respects. However, it’s nothing short of heartwarming that his family is honoring his memory in such wonderful ways and that others are joining them.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.