James Van Der Beek honored his beloved daughter in his final social media post just two weeks before his death from cancer at 48.
The Dawson’s Creek legend passed away following a two-year battle with colorectal cancer on Wednesday.
Van Der Beek, who is survived by six children and wife Kimberly, shared a poignant photograph with daughter Annabel, 12, and dad Jim on their birthdays.
A frail Van Der Beek, clad in a woolen hat, embraced his daughter in the snap, which was captioned: ‘My father and my daughter share a birthday today. At first, I thought that was all they shared – they seemed so different to me.
‘But as the two of you have evolved, and let more of who you are shine through, I can recognize the same open, warm, loving, gentle heart. I see the care and dedication you shower upon those you love most.
‘I see the same out-of-the-box Aquarian creativity and originality. And you both make every room you’re in more fun. Different senes of humor, but you both have a way of alchemizing the vibe around you in such a subtle way one can almost miss how powerfully you do this.
James Van Der Beek honored his beloved daughter in his final social media post just two weeks before his death from cancer at 48
Van Der Beek, is survived by six children and wife Kimberly
‘In this crazy world, it’s a wonder to me that you’ve managed to stay so open, so tender, and so genuinely good.
‘You are marvels… and I’m so insanely grateful to have you in my life.
‘The world is a better place because the two of you are in it.
‘Happy birthday, guys. I love you with all my heart.’
The actor’s loved ones confirmed his passing in an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday.
It read: ‘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.’
The actor and his wife share daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, Emilia, nine, and Gwendolyn, seven, as well as sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, four.
Annabel is pictured with her grandfather Jim – who shares her birthday
Van Der Beek starred alongside Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams in the beloved series, which ran for six seasons
The actor worried fans when he looked noticeably thinner as he appeared virtually at a Dawson’s Creek reunion in September
The star was open about his cancer battle and often updated fans on social media.
‘I feel a little bit better every month. It’s required more of me — more patience, more discipline,’ he said last year when addressing his weight loss. ‘More strength than I knew I had. I knew I was strong, I didn’t know I was this strong,’ the star said in the emotional conversation.
His last Instagram post was on January 25 where he looked slender but healthy. He was wishing his daughter and father a happy birthday.
When announcing his battle with colorectal cancer, James told People he was getting through the health ordeal with the ‘support of my incredible family.’
And he slowed down dramatically in the past two years: ‘The beauty of just taking things a little bit more slowly and prioritizing rest and really allowing that to be the job, I’m just on the journey,’ he during an interview on Today. The actor added, ‘It’s a process. It’ll probably be a process for the rest of my life.’
The star had moved from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas with his family in 2020 for a simpler life.
Van Der Beek shot to fame in the 90s as Dawson’s Creek teen heartthrob Dawson Leery when he was 20 years old.
The drama ran for six seasons on the WB Network between 1998 and 2003 and also launched the careers of Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson.
His family shared a heartbreaking post about his passing on Wednesday. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lucy Hale, Christie Brinkley and Rumer Willis all hit the like button within minutes
On the show, Katie portrayed Dawson’s childhood love, Joey Potter, while Joshua played their other friend and Joey’s true love, Pacey Witter. Michelle completed the core group as the rebellious Jen Lindley.
In his early days, Van Der Beek wasn’t prepared for the level of fame that came with playing the lead role in the high school drama.
‘Getting recognized is something that took me a long time… I had a big learning curve on it,’ he told People in 2024.
‘It was a different interaction back then. Now, it’s a lot more grown-up, and back then, I was so tortured about it because I loved being an observer and a fly on the wall and having random conversations with people.
‘I remember being so broken up about the fact that those random conversations or random acts of kindness were now taken away because there was this thing called “celebrity” in between me and somebody else, and it became the center of attention.’
Van Der Beek revealed his stage three colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024; Pictured with his wife and kids in an Instagram snap
One of his last red carpet appearances was at the Los Angeles premiere of the series Overcompensating at Hollywood Palladium on May 14, 2025
Despite having to overcome dealing with global fame, Van Der Beek ultimately treasured his time on Dawson’s Creek.
In recent years too, he very much delighted in reconnecting with his former cast mates, and in August 2025, it was announced that he and the cast would be reuniting for a live reading of the show’s pilot episode.
The celebration was a one-night-only charity event to raise money for the nonprofit F Cancer and for Van Der Beek amid his cancer journey.
Days before the event was due to take place, however, Van Der Beek was devastated to announce that he had to pull out of the appearance due to illness.
Expressing his disappointment in a pre-recorded video which played on the night, he told fans: ‘I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together.
