Feels like I lost a piece of my childhood.

Actor James Van Der Beek, who was best known for his role in Dawson’s Creek and the movie Varsity Blues, has passed away at the age of 48 after a battle with colorectal cancer.

He first revealed the diagnosis back in November 2024, but said at the time that he was remaining optimistic:

“I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family. There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”

His passing was announced this afternoon by his wife Kimberly:

“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. 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 is survived by his wife of 16 years, as well as six children: daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, and Gwendolyn, 7, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, 4.

Just two weeks ago, he shared a touching tribute to his father and daughter on their shared birthday.

And to make things even more heartbreaking, last year Van Der Beek was forced to auction off some of his memorabilia from Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues to help pay for his cancer treatment, raising $47,000 to go towards his medical bills, which goes to show you just how messed up our medical system is (and it’s also messed up that Sony didn’t help him after all the money he’s made for them, but that’s another story).

The actor made his final public appearance on the Today Show back in December, where he discussed his cancer journey and the lessons it taught him:

“Really, the biggest change I’d say would be this journey of self-love. What I realized is that I’m still learning to love. My own love, God’s love.”

But just a few months before his last interview, Van Der Beek had competed on the FOX singing competition The Masked Singer, being revealed as the Griffin on season 13 of the show.

Van Der Beek was actually eliminated on the show during Grand Ole Opry week, after delivering two country music performances before his identity was unveiled.

The first was a performance of the John Denver classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

Unfortunately the performance put him at risk, and sent the Griffin to a battle round against the Boogie Woogie (later revealed to be Andy Grammer), where the two masked contestants performed “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen.

It was an impressive performance, especially once you realized he was currently undergoing cancer treatment, but unfortunately Van Der Beek was eliminated in the battle. After being unmasked, he spoke about the experience and said that at one point he had planned on being a singer – while also speaking about his cancer battle:

“This was the perfect thing to be doing right now… To be able to put on a mask, inhabit a character, and connect with the audience just with a song, and be that connective tissue between me and y’all, it’s been a blast.”

Such a heartbreaking loss for his family and everybody who grew up watching him.

Rest in peace, James Van Der Beek.