James Van Der Beek Called Cancer Diagnosis 'Best Thing That's Ever Happened to Me' in Final Appearance Before Death
Actor James Van Der Beek, best known for his roles on the tv series Dawson's Creek and the film Varsity Blues, died Wednesday, February 11. He was 48 years old.
Van Der Beek had been battling colorectal cancer after being diagnosed with the disease at stage 3 in August 2023. He publicly revealed his diagnosis in November 2024. His family confirmed his passing with a post shared on his social media accounts.
"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," his family said in a statement. "He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace."
The actor sought a colonoscopy in 2023 after noticing subtle changes to his bowel movements, which he initially treated by cutting out coffee. "It didn't feel like a real symptom of anything," he told Business Insider in August 2025. "It wasn't anything that made me rush off to go get screened."
It wasn't until 2024, the year after Van Der Beek's diagnosis, that the Shield blood test, a test that can spot colon cancer signs from a simple blood draw, was FDA-approved. Following his diagnosis, he publicly advocated for screenings to be available for younger people, sot he disease could be caught and treated at an earlier stage.
James made his final public appearance on December 19, 2025, on an interview with Today. He shared his initial surprise at his diagnosis, and his optimism reflecting on his cancer journey.
"I went into shock," Van Der Beek told host Craig Melvin. "But you know, one of the things I was really lucky about was when I heard the news, I was like, ‘This is gonna be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.’"
"I had this little voice in my head that said, ‘You’re gonna make changes in your life that you would never, ever make if you didn’t have this extreme of a diagnosis, and it’s gonna add healthy, happy years to your life.'"
"I don’t think I knew what it was to slow down before," he admitted in the interview. I don’t think I knew what it was to really look at everything I eat, everything I put in my body."
His biggest change, the father-of-six concluded, was a "journey of self love." "What I realized was is, I’m still worthy of love — my own love, God’s love."
"I think before cancer, I took all these little, beautiful moments as part of a collective. I was just aware of everything. And now I’m able, much more, to just settle into that exact moment. So presence is really the gift that cancer’s given me."
Although James said at the time he was "feeling better every month," he stated he "would not be alive" if it weren't for his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek.
"She just has stepped up as a caretaker, as a nurse, as head of the household," he reflected.
As for his children, as much as I want to shield them from seeing me in any kind of pain or stress, I wanted to be Superman, Super Dad. You realize that resilience is not only something that they have and can build, but it’s the best thing for them."