The faith of Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek

Writer Becky Hunter Kelm looks back on the life and faith of James Van Der Beek, whose battle with cancer revealed a man clinging to God even as everything else was stripped away. Best known for his role in Dawson’s Creek, Van Der Beek’s legacy reaches beyond the screen, pointing to a deeper story of identity, suffering, and hope in the face of death.

I couldn’t believe the post that my friend sent me on Instagram yesterday morning. Actor James Van Der Beek, who was best known for his role in the US teen drama Dawson’s Creek, died aged 48, from bowel cancer.

“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” his family said in a statement posted to his social media accounts. “He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace.”

Van Der Beek was diagnosed with cancer in late 2023, sharing the news in November 2024. His passing so quickly, and at such a young age, is just so unbelievably sad, and like everyone, my first thought was his six precious children left without their dad, and his wife.