James Van Der Beek Death at 48
James Van Der Beek, a heartthrob who rose to fame at the dawn of the new millennium for his role as the titular character in “Dawson’s Creek,” has died at 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,” the statement read. “For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
In 2024, Van Der Beek revealed he was undergoing treatment for colorectal cancer. That same year, he made a surprise video appearance in September during a “Dawson’s Creek” reunion charity event in New York City after earlier stepping away due to illness. He appeared projected onstage at the Richard Rodgers Theatre during a live reading of the show’s pilot episode to benefit F Cancer and Van Der Beek, with Lin-Manuel Miranda filling in for him on stage. “Thank you to every single person here,” Van Der Beek said.
Forever linked to “Dawson’s Creek,” which aired from 1998 to 2003 on The WB, Van Der Beek portrayed 15-year-old Dawson Leery, a young aspiring filmmaker who dreamed of becoming a director in the mold of Steven Spielberg. The series followed a group of high school friends navigating love, friendship and life’s early challenges. Featuring Paula Cole’s moody theme song “I Don’t Want To Wait,” the show helped define The WB as a destination for teens and young adults drawn to its hyper-articulate dialogue and frank discussions of sexuality. It also made household names of Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams.
The drama stirred attention with storylines including a racy affair between a teen and a teacher 20 years older, and a memorable scene of Holmes’ character climbing through Dawson’s bedroom window to curl up beside him. Later series such as “Euphoria” and “Sex Education” owe a debt to “Dawson’s Creek.”
Van Der Beek sometimes struggled to step out from the show’s shadow. “It’s tough to compete with something that was the cultural phenomenon that ‘Dawson’s Creek’ was,” he told Vulture in 2013. “It ran for so long. That’s a lot of hours playing one character in front of people. So it’s natural that they associate you with that.”
Years after the show ended, a moment from the end of its third season became a popular GIF, showing Dawson in tears as his soul mate begins a relationship with his best friend. “It wasn’t scripted that I was supposed to cry; it was just one of those things where it’s a magical moment and it just happens in the scene,” he told Vanity Fair. He later recreated the clip for Funny or Die in 2011. “All of a sudden, six years of work was boiled down to one seven-second clip on loop,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
While still starring on “Dawson’s Creek,” Van Der Beek hosted “Saturday Night Live,” with Everlast as the musical guest, and landed a key role in “Varsity Blues.” In the film, he played Mox, a backup high school quarterback who steps up after the star player is injured. Unlike his teammates, Mox preferred reading Kurt Vonnegut and longed for a college education that would allow him to escape the jock culture of his Texas town. “I don’t want your life,” he declared in one memorable scene. Roger Ebert described him as “convincing and likable.”
After the series concluded, Van Der Beek co-created and starred as Wesley “Diplo” Pentz in the Viceland mockumentary satire “What Would Diplo Do?” In 2019, he reached the semifinals of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and portrayed a balding, out-of-shape ex-boyfriend on “How I Met Your Mother.”
“The more you make fun of yourself and don’t try to go for any kind of respect, the more people seem to respect you,” he told Vanity Fair in 2011. “I’ve always been a clown trapped in a leading man’s body.”
Between 2003 and 2013, he appeared in “Criminal Minds,” “One Tree Hill,” and “How I Met Your Mother.” He portrayed himself with intense eccentricity in the Krysten Ritter-led ABC drama “Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23,” and also featured in the short-lived “CSI” spinoff “CSI: Cyber” and CBS’ “Friends With Better Lives.”
His film credits include Kevin Smith’s 2001 comedy “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” and its 2019 sequel “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.” He also appeared in the 2002 adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ “The Rules of Attraction,” alongside Jessica Biel and Kate Bosworth.
In 2025, he was revealed as Griffin on “The Masked Singer” after performing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen.
Raised in Cheshire, Connecticut, Van Der Beek began acting at 13 after a concussion sustained while playing football kept him sidelined for a year on doctor’s orders. He played Danny Zuko in his school’s production of “Grease,” later securing an off-Broadway role in Edward Albee’s “Finding the Sun” at 16 and appearing in a revival of “Shenandoah” at the Goodspeed Opera House.
He earned a scholarship to Drew University in New Jersey but left early after landing “Dawson’s Creek.” In 2024, he returned to receive an honorary degree for his “selfless service and exemplary commitment to the mission of Drew,” according to the university. Drew University President Hilary Link welcomed him with a line from his character: “Edge is fleeting,” she said, “but heart lasts forever. So on this morning, we pay tribute to that heart.”
Van Der Beek is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their six children: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.
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