Three weeks ago, a spirited James Van Der Beek disavowed New Year’s Resolutions.
‘Why are we celebrating a New Year in the dead of winter?’ he proclaimed in a video posted to Instagram. ‘The time to celebrate a new beginning, and a new you, and a new resolution, is the spring.’
But the Dawson’s Creek star would not make it to the vernal equinox. On Wednesday, Van Der Beek died after a two-year battle with colon cancer at age 48.
His apparent optimism, however, seemed to shroud the reality of his final days – ones, a source exclusively told the Daily Mail, that were spent declining in hospice care.
‘James was on hospice for several weeks and he was rail thin when he passed,’ the source said. ‘He was mostly in bed because he was very weak, and he was not eating.’
And while his family were there with him, the source said, it became increasingly hard to watch the man they revere as their ‘patriarch’ deteriorate before their very eyes.
‘He was in hospice, they held his hand and were there for him, of course, but it has been hard because James was so ill, he was weak,’ the source continued. ‘He had so much charisma, he was a wonderful soul, and his presence is missed. Those poor little kids.’
Van Der Beek leaves behind his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, 44, and their six children: Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, nine, Gwendolyn, seven, and Jeremiah, four
Designer Erin Fetherston posted a tribute to Van Der Beek on Instagram
Ex-WWE star Stacy Keibler also paid tribute to the actor, writing, ‘Spending these final days with you has been a true gift from God’
Van Der Beek leaves behind his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, 44, and their six children: Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, nine, Gwendolyn, seven, and Jeremiah, four. Together, the family had been residing on a ranch near Austin, Texas, after leaving Los Angeles in 2020.
‘This is very hard for the family, they are totally broken over his passing because he was the patriarch, he was the leader,’ the source said. ‘There are puddles of tears everywhere and it all falls on Kimberly’s shoulders.’
Then, there is also the crushing cost that accompanied his colorectal cancer, with which he was diagnosed in 2023.
Insiders previously told the Daily Mail that Van Der Beek required near-constant doctor appointments and painful treatments that rendered him unable to work. His last consistent job was on the Disney Jr animated show Vampirina, which he worked on from 2017 until 2021.
However, a source now tells the Daily Mail that the actor ‘had not been in treatment for a while because there was nothing more the doctors could do, the cancer was aggressive’.
‘James wanted peace the last few weeks of his life,’ the source said.
On Wednesday, his wife Kimberly launched a GoFundMe page to ‘cover essential living expenses, pay bills, and support the children’s education’. More than $400,000 has been raised.
‘It costs a lot of money to support a large family,’ a friend told the Daily Mail previously. ‘So the bills are crazy. From the mortgage and car payments to all the food and health insurance payments – I mean, it’s a heavy load. Then tack on the medical bills. It’s not fun.’
In December, Van Der Beek sold some memorabilia from the set of Dawson’s Creek, bringing in $47,000, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In September, Van Der Beek missed a Dawson’s Creek reunion event due to a stomach virus and instead appeared in a pre-recorded video
In December, Van Der Beek sold some memorabilia from Dawson’s Creek
The necklace that his character, Dawson Leery, famously gifted Joey (played by Katie Holmes) went for $26,628. A collection of decorations from Dawson’s bedroom, including an Indiana Jones model kit and an ET doll, sold for $5,991, while a chairback went for $2,663.
‘I’ve been storing these treasures for years, waiting for the right time to do something with them,’ Van Der Beek told People magazine at the time of the auction. ‘And with all of the recent unexpected twists and turns life has presented recently, it’s clear that the time is now.’
He told the outlet that he did ‘have some nostalgia tugging at me’ as he parted ways with the physical memories, but added that it felt good to share them ‘with those who have supported my work over the years’.
In January, Cobra Kai actor Paul Walter Hauser announced that he would be raising funds to aid the star’s medical bills. It is not known if they were friends.
‘James Van Der Beek started selling his old stuff from his past acting jobs to pay for his colorectal cancer treatments, and it didn’t sit well with me,’ Hauser, 39, wrote on Instagram in January. ‘I am an actor and father of [three] children, and I want them inheriting my trinkets/wardrobe/memorabilia someday.
‘I wouldn’t want to auction off a Stingray shirt or Marvel script to make ends meet for treatment.’
The actor wrote that he also plans to auction off ‘personal items and autographs’ from some of his celebrity friends, including Josh Gad, Becky Lynch, Jimmy Kimmel and ‘many many more’.
Hauser, who is working with Cameo to help raise the funds, vowed on Wednesday to continue ‘drumming up some money’ to support the Van Der Beek family.
He wrote: ‘Thanks for the body of work and for being one of the good guys.’
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