Actor James Van Der Beek, best known for his roles in “Dawson’s Creek” and “Varsity Blues,” has passed away after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. He was 48. “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. 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,” Kimberly Van Der Beek, his wife, said on Instagram. James Van Der Beek, star of ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ has died at the age of 48, TMZ reports. He previously revealed his battle with cancer. pic.twitter.com/i85gLYEMIa — Pop Base (@PopBase) February 11, 2026 NBC News shared further: In early November 2024, Van Der Beek announced he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. “I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before,” Van Der Beek said in a Nov. 3, 2024, post on Instagram. “Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support.” He chronicled his experience living with cancer on Instagram, where he frequently paid tribute to his wife and children for their support. Van Der Beek was best known for playing Dawson Leery, the earnest, introspective aspiring filmmaker at the center of the WB’s “Dawson’s Creek.” The show ran for six seasons and became a classic of the teen drama genre. “The little pilot we shot in that small town for that fledgling network aired, changed our lives and launched our careers,” Van Der Beek wrote in a Jan. 25, 2018, post on Instagram in honor of the show’s 20th anniversary. The series turned Van Der Beek into a youth heartthrob and catapulted him into the national limelight. He appeared on magazine covers and regularly found himself surrounded by adoring teenagers — a taste of pre-internet fame he later discussed with a tone of amusement. “Back in March, the actor released the following video explaining what cancer had taught him,” Collin Rugg wrote. Footage below: JUST IN: Actor James Van Der Beek has sadly passed away at the age of 48. "Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," his family posted to his Instagram account. "He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding… pic.twitter.com/uHQwNRAx4K — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 11, 2026 USA TODAY has more: The actor was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023 and shared his illness with the public in November 2024. He continued working, in spite of his health battle, appearing on shows like the CW’s “Walker” (2024) and Amazon Prime Video’s comedy “Overcompensating” (2025). Van Der Beek also competed against fellow disguised celebrities on Fox’s “The Masked Singer” (2025) and signed on to Amazon Prime’s forthcoming “Legally Blonde” prequel “Elle” as Dean Wilson, a school district superintendent and mayoral candidate. He also remained active on social media, posting just two weeks before his death to celebrate the joint birthday of his father and one of his daughters. “In this crazy world, it’s a wonder to me that you’ve managed to stay so open, so tender, and so genuinely good,” he wrote. “You are marvels… and I’m so insanely grateful to have you in my life.” He previously shared with USA TODAY that his diagnosis reinvigorated his love for his chosen profession. “For a minute, I thought, ‘You know what? I don’t need acting. I don’t need it in the way that I did before,'” he said, during an interview in the summer of 2025. “I’m very, very happy just doing this here with my family. And then, when I got cancer, I realized I love to tell stories. Acting is actually a real passion. Writing is a real passion, and I need to feed that. So, I joke that I’m the only guy I know who got cancer and realized I need to work more.” Van Der Beek is survived by his wife, Kimberly, whom he wed in 2010, and their six children.