James Van Der Beek died on Wednesday at the age of 48.
The actor revealed a colorectal cancer diagnosis in November. His death was announced via his official Instagram page.
“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,” the announcement read. “Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
Van Der Beek’s big break came in 1998, when he starred opposite Katie Holmes on the teen drama “Dawson’s Creek.” He played the titular Dawson Leery, a soft-hearted and naive high schooler coming of age in a small Massachusetts town. Many of his most-famous roles followed a similar tack, using his All-American good looks to portray the complicated lives of teens and young adults. As Jonathan “Mox” Moxon in “Varsity Blues,” he pushed back against the pressures of playing quarterback for a small-town high school. In the Bret Easton Ellis adaptation “The Rules of Attraction,” he took on the role of a collegiate drug-dealer.
Van Der Beek’s biggest post-“Creek” role came in “Don’t Trust The B**** in Apartment 23,” playing an exaggerated version of himself. Across that cult hit’s two seasons, Van Der Beek dealt with the problem’s that plague an aging teen heartthrob.
Van Der Beek was showered with tributes from his fellow teen television stars and former castmates. Sarah Michelle Gellar commented on the Instagram post announcing his passing, calling Van Der Beek’s death a “huge loss to…the world.” “One Tree Hill” star Chad Michael Murray called Van Der Beek a “giant.”
“Sending love and light to your beautiful family,” he wrote. “We’re so so so sorry for what you’re going through. His words, art and humanity inspired all of us – he inspired us to be better in all ways. God bless you guys.”
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