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Dawson's Creek Star James Van Der Beek Dies at 48
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By Reuters
Published 2 hours ago on
February 11, 2026

71st Primetime Emmy Awards - Arrivals - Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 22, 2019. James Van Der Beek. (Reuters/Mario Anzuoni)

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James Van Der Beek, the star of 1990s teen drama “Dawson’s Creek,” died on Wednesday at the age of 48 after a battle with cancer, his wife announced on social media.

“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning.  He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” his wife Kimberly wrote on Instagram.

In 2024, Van Der Beek announced his colorectal cancer diagnosis after it was discovered during a routine colonoscopy the year before.

“I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before,” he wrote on social media that year.

Van Der Beek continued to chronicle his fight with cancer on social media until his death.

A Connecticut native, Van Der Beek got his breakout role in the 1990s as Dawson Leery in “Dawson’s Creek,” along Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes. He continued in the role, which made him a teen heartthrob of the early 2000s, until the show concluded in 2003.

Other roles include Mox in “Varsity Blues” and Sean Bateman in “The Rules of Attraction.”

(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

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