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James Van Der Beek Remembered on What Would Have Been His 49th Birthday

His family honored him on Instagram with personal messages of grief.

Overview

  • Kimberly Van Der Beek posted family photos and wrote that she misses her husband on the first birthday since his death.
  • Daughter Emilia, 9, shared a video offering coping advice, saying she speaks to her father daily and believes he is pain‑free in heaven.
  • The Dawson’s Creek actor died on February 11, 2025, after stage‑3 colorectal cancer first detected in August 2023 and disclosed publicly in November 2024.
  • Friends organized a GoFundMe that has raised more than $2.7 million for the family, with notable donations reported from figures including Steven Spielberg and Zoe Saldaña.
  • Posthumous appearances are slated with The Gates opening in U.S. theaters on March 13 and the Legally Blonde prequel series Elle arriving on Prime Video in July.