‘Dawson’s Creek’ star James Van Der Beek dies at 48 after cancer battle

NEW YORK — Actor James Van Der Beek, who rose to fame as the face of “Dawson’s Creek” and later leaned into self-parody as he got older, has died at 48, according to a statement cited by The Associated Press.

AP reported that Van Der Beek revealed in 2024 that he was being treated for colorectal cancer. A statement said he died Wednesday morning and “met his final days with courage, faith, and grace.”

Van Der Beek became a household name in the late 1990s as Dawson Leery, the earnest, film-obsessed teen at the center of “Dawson’s Creek,” a WB drama that helped define an era of youth television. AP described how he later mocked his own “hunky persona,” a shift that longtime fans recognized as both comedic and self-aware — the kind of move actors sometimes make when they’ve lived long enough inside a character that the public can’t stop projecting onto them.

News of his death quickly sparked an outpouring of reaction online — not only from people who grew up with the show, but from a newer wave of viewers who discovered “Dawson’s Creek” through streaming and internet nostalgia cycles. In 2026, a celebrity death doesn’t just move through entertainment sites; it floods timelines, group chats, and comment sections where fans trade memories, scenes, and jokes that still feel oddly fresh decades later.

Part of what makes Van Der Beek’s passing hit harder for some fans is that his career had a very recognizable arc: early stardom that could have trapped him in one lane, followed by a willingness to poke fun at the image that fame created. That kind of self-awareness can make an actor feel more like a person and less like a brand — and it tends to deepen public affection over time.

AP’s report also underscores a quieter part of the story: his cancer disclosure. Van Der Beek’s announcement that he was undergoing treatment for colorectal cancer came at a time when doctors and advocacy groups have been warning that colorectal cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in younger adults. While individual cases vary widely, public figures discussing treatment often prompt spikes in searches about symptoms, screening ages, and family risk — a grim reminder that celebrity news can, at times, nudge real health conversations into people’s homes.

Van Der Beek’s death also lands in a week of heavy celebrity news, but this one carries a uniquely personal charge for a particular generation: people who were teens when “Dawson’s Creek” dominated pop culture, and who now see the stars of that era aging — and, in cases like this, gone far too soon.

AP did not immediately provide additional details beyond the statement it cited.