James Van Der Beek's co-stars share social media tributes after actor's death

Actors who worked with James Van Der Beek during his career took to social media paying tribute to him since his death on Wednesday,

Van Der Beek passed away after a battle with colorectal cancer. The 48-year-old actor acted in dozens of movies and television shows throughout the years, including, "Varsity Blues," "The Rules of Attraction," and most recently, the Tubi film "Sidelined 2: Intercepted."

RELATED: James Van Der Beek dies following battle with colon cancer

In 2024, the entertainer revealed that he was undergoing treatment for colorectal cancer, and last year, he talked about the "hardest year" of his life. 

Stars pay tribute to James Van Der Beek

What they're saying:

Sarah Michelle Gellar

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Sarah Michelle Gellar shared her tribute in the comments section, writing, "I'm so sad for your beautiful family."

"While James legacy will always live on, this is a huge loss to not just your family but the world. F--- Cancer," she added.

RELATED: James Van Der Beek makes surprise virtual appearance at 'Dawson's Creek' reunion

Gellar also shared a photo of her and Van Der Beek on her Instagram story from their time on their respective teen shows, writing, "I grew up alongside @vanderjames. He was one of the good guys. This is a true loss.

Busy Philipps

Busy Philipps, his "Dawson’s Creek" co-star, shared a few behind-the-scenes photos from the making of the hit show on her Instagram in tribute to the actor, writing, "My heart is deeply hurting for all of us today."

"Every person who knew James and loved him, anyone who loved his work or had the pleasure of meeting him, all of his dear friends and community that surrounded him as he battled this illness, especially his parents and brother and sister," she wrote. 

"But I am profoundly heartbroken for his incredible wife Kimberly and their six magical children," she continued. "There is a go fund me for them to help out and i’ll put the link in my stories. James Van Der Beek was one in a billion and he will be forever missed and i don’t know what else to say. i am just so so sad. He was my friend and i loved him and i’m so grateful for our friendship all these years.❤️"

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin posted a video on Instagram sending his condolences to Van Der Beek's family, writing in the caption, "Sad news about James Van Der Beek. Met him in LA. A true gentleman."

"God i'm so sorry about James Van Der Beek," he said in the video. "I never worked with him, but I knew him from his career and his work on TV and I met him a couple of times. My wife and I were in LA on business staying in a hotel, and he lived near there. We used to run into him at a coffee place, a breakfast place over there in Beverly Hills...what a lovely guy, what a lovely guy. 

"What an amazingly sweet guy for a guy who had a big TV career like that. He was so popula. Just sad. I'm very sorry for his family and his children and his friends...We lost another good one. Again, i only met him in passing but he was a really, really decent guy. So I'm sad for him for his passing and my thoughts go out to his wife and his family."

Melissa Joan Hart

Melissa Joan Hart took to her Instagram to share a few photos from Van Der Beek's appearance on her '90s sitcom, "Clarissa Explains It All."

"I'm heartbroken to hear that @vanderjames has passed away! He was truly a nice guy, a great father, wonderful actor and will always be my first on screen kiss when he guest starred on #ClarissaExplainsItAll," Hart wrote. 

"Gone way too soon but it seems like he put up one hell of a fight. We ran into each other at the singing game show #WeAreFamily about two years ago when he sang a song with his daughter, encouraging her like a good dad does. My thoughts and prayers go out to his 6 kids, his wife and family!"

Krysten Ritter

Krysten Ritter, Van Der Beek’s "Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 13" co-star, shared photos of her and Van Der Beek on her Instagram stories, writing, "really hard news today."

Another slide read, "Beautiful human inside and out. Smart, funny, empathetic, kind, talented and just pure magic – I’m so grateful for our friendship and so heartbroken. All my love goes out to his amazing wife Kimberly and their children."

A third slide read, "love you so much James and fake James."

Mary Margaret Hume

Mary Margaret Hume, who played Van Der Beek's mother on "Dawson's Creek," posted two pictures on Instagram, including a more recent photo of her and Van Der Beek, and a pic of the two actors on set of the beloved teen television show.

"Rarely am I at a loss for words … today would be the exception," she wrote in the caption. "James, my gracious warrior, you fought a hard battle against all odds with such quiet strength and dignity. I will always love and admire you for that. Our last conversations … merely a few days ago … are forever sitting softly in my heart for safe keeping. To our extended Dawson’s Creek family of friends … please be respectful of our silences at the moment as Beautiful Kimberly and family have asked for peaceful privacy for now. #dawsonscreek #tvfamily."

Sasha Alexander

Sasha Alexander, who played Van Der Beek's former love interest on "Dawson's Creek," shared a series of photos on Instagram from their time on the show, writing, "It feels like yesterday that we were sitting beneath those pink Wilmington sunsets, filming during the beautiful Dawson’s Creek years."

"What made Dawson special was the man who played him," she wrote. "James was a deep, thoughtful soul. He took his work seriously, not out of ego, but out of care. He cared about being a good actor. He cared about doing things well and he never took any of it for granted. But more than anything, he cared about people. He cared about his family. He cared about showing up fully."

She then added that she was "heartbroken for everyone who loved him, especially his beautiful family," and said her "prayers are with them."

"I will always be grateful that I got to stand in his light for a little while. That I got to laugh with him, go to prom with Dawson and grow up alongside him. He will live on in our memories, and in the kindness he left behind," she added. "Rest in Peace, my friend. 🤍"

Zoe Saldana 

"Guardians of the Galaxy" actress Zoe Saldana posted the announcement of his death on her Instagram story, writing, "This hits hard…Our deepest condolences to his family."

Olivia Munn

Actress Olivia Munn commented, "I’m so sorry. My prayers are with you and your beautiful family."

Parker McCollum

Country singer Parker McCollum wrote, "Man... life ain't fair. God speed sir!"

Candace Cameron Bure

"Full House" actress Candace Cameron Bure shared an Instagram post announcing his death on her Instagram story, adding three broken heart emojis as a caption.

Who was James Van Der Beek?

The backstory:

James Van Der Beek was born on March 8, 1977, in Connecticut, and later won the lead role of Dawson Leery in WB’s "Dawson’s Creek." The show's 1998 debut was a success that helped to establish the network and its cast. The series ran for six seasons and was syndicated worldwide. 

In 1999, he also starred in the teen football drama "Varsity Blues." He won an MTV Movie Award for his role. 

He made appearances in several other projects, including, "Ugly Betty," "Criminal Minds," "How I Met Your Mother," and "One Tree Hill."

Van Der Beek also co-created, wrote, produced and starred in "What Would Diplo Do?," in which he portrayed producer and DJ Diplo. The movie scored 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The actor joined the cast of the 28th season of "Dancing with the Stars," and in 2025, he competed on Season 13 of "The Masked Singer."

Van Der Beek married business consultant Kimberly Brook in 2010. The couple have six children together.  He was previously married to actress Heather McComb until their separation in 2009.

He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and six children, Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah. A Van Der Beek GoFundMe account was created to support the family.

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