James Van Der Beek reflects on life’s small joys amid cancer journey

James Van Der Beek, the beloved Dawson’s Creek star, spoke openly about how his cancer journey taught him to cherish life’s small moments, just months before his passing at age 48.

In a December 19, 2025, interview on Today, Van Der Beek reflected on the impact of his 2023 stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis, describing it as a gift that gave him the power of presence.

"I think before cancer, I took all these little, beautiful moments as part of a collective," he told anchor Craig Melvin. "I was just aware of everything. And now I’m able, much more, to just settle into that exact moment. So presence is really the gift that cancer’s given me."

Van Der Beek credited his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, with playing a central role in his journey. "I would not be alive if it weren’t for my wife," he said. "She just has stepped up as a caretaker, as a nurse, as head of the household." 

The couple shares six children, and Van Der Beek said he wanted to set an example of resilience for them.

"As much as I want to shield them from seeing me in any kind of pain or stress, I wanted to be Superman, Super Dad," he explained. "You realize that resilience is not only something that they have and can build, but it’s the best thing for them."

Despite the shock of his diagnosis, Van Der Beek approached it with a sense of purpose. "I had this little voice in my head that said, ‘You’re gonna make changes in your life that you would never, ever make if you didn’t have this extreme of a diagnosis, and it’s gonna add healthy, happy years to your life,'" he said.

He also spoke about self-love and faith, acknowledging the emotional journey that accompanied his illness. "What I realized was, I’m still worthy of love — my own love, God’s love," he said.

Kimberly Van Der Beek announced her husband’s passing on Instagram on February 11, sharing that he "passed peacefully this morning" and "met his final days with courage, faith, and grace."

Van Der Beek had first shared his cancer diagnosis publicly in November 2024, telling PEOPLE he had been "privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family."