See James Van Der Beek’s Last Photo With Wife Kimberly Before Death

James Van Der Beek spent his last months surrounded by love.

The Dawson’s Creek alum died Feb. 11 after battling colorectal cancer. He was48.

Just under two months before he passed away, James’ wife of 15 years, Kimberly Van Der Beek, shared a heartwarming picture of them celebrating the holidays together at their ranch in Texas.

Kimberly shared a photo of herself with James, calling him “my bae” in the caption. The picture showed James wearing a green cardigan and brown jeans with his arm around her.

I’ve been following them since they got married back in 2010, and they’ve built such a lovely family! They have six amazing kids: Olivia, who’s 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, then Emilia, who’s 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and little Jeremiah, who’s only 4. It’s wonderful to see them all growing up!

After James died, Kimberly shared a family statement describing him as a devoted husband, father, son, brother, and friend.

A recent Instagram post from February 11th shared that he passed away with courage, faith, and dignity. The post also mentioned that details about his final wishes, his compassion for others, and his appreciation for life will be shared in the future.

In 2023, James received a diagnosis of colorectal cancer, a type of cancer that starts in the colon or rectum. He shared the news publicly the following year after completing treatment privately. He mentioned at the time that he was working to overcome the illness, and greatly appreciated the support of his family.

“There’s reason for optimism,” he told People, “and I’m feeling good.”

And throughout his cancer journey, James continued to keep his head up.

James remembered thinking, ‘This is the best thing that could happen to me’ when he first learned of his diagnosis. He shared this during a December interview on Today, explaining that he felt a strong sense that the diagnosis would push him to make life changes he never would have considered otherwise.

He explained that the most significant shift for him was learning to love himself, realizing he deserved love all along.

To look back at James’ extraordinary life in photos, keep reading.

And throughout his cancer journey, James continued to keep his head up.

James remembered thinking, ‘This is the best thing that could happen to me’ when he first learned of his diagnosis, as he shared during a December interview on Today. He explained that he felt a sense of knowing he would make significant life changes he wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

He explained that the most significant shift for him has been learning to love himself, realizing he deserves love all along.

To look back at James’ extraordinary life in photos, keep reading.