Actor James Van Der Beek, best known for his role as the titular character in 'Dawson's Creek', has died. He was 48 years old.
🕊️ James Van Der Beek has died. He was 48.
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 11, 2026
What we know: https://t.co/DQIYENGMsv pic.twitter.com/9jdw66GWUC
In 2024, Van Der Beek announced he was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer.
Van Der Beek got emotional while discussing his cancer battle on "Good Morning America" last year ... especially when he mentioned everything his wife had done for him since he was diagnosed.
He was supposed to join his fellow "Dawson's Creek" castmates in September, but he was forced to drop out of the reunion for health reasons.
James rose to prominence in the later 1990s as the titular character in "Dawsons" ... though he later gained recognition for his roles in "Scary Movie," "Varsity Blues" and "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23."
He also regularly grabbed recurring roles on many popular shows of the last two decades ... like "How I Met Your Mother," "One Tree Hill" and "Pose."
Van Der Beek was born in Cheshire, CT, to Melinda, a dancer and gymnastics teacher, and James, a cell phone company executive and minor league baseball pitcher.
At 15, Van Der Beek asked his mother to take him to New York City to get an agent and try his hand at acting. He made his off-Broadway debut in 1993 in a production of Edward Albee's "Finding the Sun." He returned to Broadway a decade later in "Rain Dance."
So many memories of Dawson’s Creek right now…
— Patricia Watts (@PatriciaLWatts) February 11, 2026
So sad to lose James Van der Beek at only 48 pic.twitter.com/ZLIABRUFrx
He made his feature film debut in 1995's "Angus" and had a small role in the independent movie "I Love You, I Love You Not" (1996).
James Van Der Beek, who starred in ‘Dawson’s Creek’ and ‘Varsity Blues,’ has died at 48…. #RIP #MOX pic.twitter.com/zpI8iZH2Yp
— Boog00 (@boog00) February 11, 2026
Van Der Beek left Drew University before production began on "Dawson's Creek." That show marked his breakout role, running for six seasons before being syndicated worldwide.
I used to live in Wilmington, North Carolina where Dawson’s Creek was filmed over its first four seasons. The show ended in 2003 but the legacy of James Van Der Beek continues to loom large in that town. https://t.co/sKBF6rQi9c
— Jim LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) February 11, 2026
In 1999, he starred in the teen football drama "Varsity Blues," which topped the box office for two weeks. Van Der Beek won an MTV Movie Award for that role.
His career spanned decades across television and film.
Van Der Beek married actress Heather McComb in 2003. They divorced in 2010. He then married business consultant Kimberly Brook in 2010. The couple had six children, four daughters and two sons.
He was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2023, but didn't make his diagnosis public until late 2024.
He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their children.