The Masked Singer paid tribute to former contestant James Van Der Beek after his death at age 48.
“In loving memory of our Griffin James Van Der Beek. March 8th 1977 – February 11, 2026,” a graphic read in the opening moments of the Fox show’s Wednesday, February 11, episode.
James’ wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, confirmed the actor’s death earlier on Wednesday after a long battle with colorectal cancer. “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” Kimberly wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of James. “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.”
James announced he was battling stage 3 cancer in November 2024 after being diagnosed with the condition the previous year. Despite his health struggles, he appeared as the part-eagle-part-lion amalgamation Griffin on season 13 of The Masked Singer, making it six episodes before he was uncovered by the judges.
“You know, I have a big appreciation for country music, or at least I’m starting to,” James told the crowd in a video package before his elimination in March 2025. “See, after so many years in the spotlight, I moved my family to the country. A place where we could live quietly in nature. The kind of childhood I always dreamed of providing for my kids, and it’s been exactly what my family and I needed.”
He then shared insight into his health journey, hinting that he received some “news that changed everything.”
“It’s been a really tough year. But fortunately, we’ve been able to face this challenge together in our home,” he continued. I would not have gotten through this without them. They make me smile on all the tough days and they’re strong for me when I sometimes can’t be.”
Following his final performance — to “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen — James was joined on stage with Kimberly and their six children: Olivia, Joshua, Annabell, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.
Speaking to People in an exit interview after he was identified, James said that participating in the musical reality series helped take his mind off the heavier aspects of his life.
“What was cool is, the audience didn’t know,” he told the outlet at the time. “So as much as I was dealing with whatever I was dealing with in my trailer and with the world, it was this great escape to be able to put on this mask and just connect with that audience and not have cancer be a part of it at all.”
He added that it had been a “very, very, long time” since he had sung publicly, but that he would “audition all the time for summer stock” as a kid.
“I’d go to open calls that I found in Backstage during my spring break in high school,” he recalled. “That’s what I did. But I never really booked anything that way — I did one musical when I was 17, but I just kind of sang with the ensemble.”
Those auditions came to a halt after he was cast as Dawson Leery on The WB’s Dawson’s Creek, a show that ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2003. James costarred alongside Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Michelle Williams on the series, which followed the adolescent adventures of a group of teens living in small town Massachusetts.
Dawson’s Creek catapulted James to fame on the small — and big — screen, but the actor told People that he was still hoping to take the stage in the future after his success on The Masked Singer.
“I would love to do Broadway,” he shared. “It would be a dream come true.”
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