James Van Der Beek faced many changes in the last few years before his death on February 11 at the age of 48. One of which was relocating his family from Los Angeles, California, to Austin, Texas, in September 2020 amid the pandemic.
The actor revealed in late 2024 that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. At the time, he thanked his "incredible family" for their support and insisted there was reason to be optimistic and that he was "feeling good." His wife, Kimberly, shared a statement on behalf of the family with the news of his passing on February 11.
"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," it read. "He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. 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," it concluded.
© Getty ImagesJames tied the knot with Kimberly in 2010, and they went on to welcome children Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah.
The Dawson's Creek alum opened up about moving his family to Austin in an Instagram post at the time, sharing several photos of their empty house in Beverly Hills. "Sometimes a fuller life begins with an empty house," he penned. "Leaving Los Angeles incredibly grateful for all the friends and memories we’ve made here. Onto the next big adventure!"
The family set out on a weeks-long road trip east, documenting sights along the way, including the Grand Canyon and New Mexico. "When I was a kid, I used to think freedom would be finally having the things I’d dreamed of having. It wasn’t. Then I thought freedom would be having no attachment to anything. It wasn't," James reflected on social media amid the trip.
"Now, in the midst of a move to a new state 1500 miles from any place I’ve ever lived... I’m starting to feel like freedom is daring to love with all of your heart... and having the courage to put what you love first. I’m working on it..." he captioned a video of himself driving through a large empty field."
The move came after a devastating year, which saw the family face many losses. "In the last ten months, we’ve had two late-term pregnancy losses, each of which put @vanderkimberly in the hospital, we spent Christmas break thinking she had a tumor (the doctor was wrong, thank god), a business colleague I hired hijacked the project and stabbed me in the back, I was prematurely booted off a reality dancing show I was favored to win in front of the whole world, and my mom died," James shared.
"And a shut-down," he continued, referencing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "All of that led to some drastic changes in our lives, and dreams, and priorities... and landed us here."
