Katie Holmes shared a touching handwritten message honoring her late “Dawson’s Creek” co-star James Van Der Beek on Wednesday.
“I formed some words with a heavy heart,” the actress, 47, captioned the Instagram upload, explaining to her followers that she has “a lot to process.”
Holmes, who played Joey Potter on the show from 1998 to 20023, added, “I am so grateful to have shared in a piece of James’ journey. He is beloved.”
She concluded with a message to James’ wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, gushing, “We love you and will be here always for you and your [six] beautiful children. ❤️”
As for Holmes’ photographed note, she started by thanking the actor, best known for playing the titular character on “Dawson’s Creek,” after he lost his battle to colorectal cancer on Wednesday at 48.
“To share a space with your imagination is sacred — breathing the same air in the land of make believe and trusting that each other’s hearts are safe in their expression,” Holmes wrote. “These are some of the memories, along with laughter, conversations about life, James Taylor songs — adventures of a unique youth.”
The “Kennedys” alum went on to highlight James’ “compassion, bravery, selflessness and strength,” before noting his “appreciation for life with the integrity that life is art.”
She called his “beautiful marriage and six loving children” the “journey of a hero.”
Holmes continued, “I mourn this loss with a heart holding the reality of his absence and deep gratitude for his imprint on it.”
She concluded by promising Kimberly and her kids — Olivia, 14, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 8, Gwendolyn, 6, and Jeremiah, 3 — to “always be there” for them with “love and compassion.”
Kimberly married James in August 2010, with the couple relocating their family from Los Angeles to Texas a decade later.
The “Pose” alum was diagnosed with cancer in August 2023 and went public with his health struggles in November of the following year.
Kimberly announced James’ death via Instagram on Wednesday, writing, “[He] passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace.”
A GoFundMe was created by James’ friends as his family face an “uncertain future” — and it has already surpassed $1 million in donations.
The “Masked Singer” alum’s pals, including Stacy Keibler, also shared intimate photos from James’ final days on his Spicewood ranch.
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