James Van Der Beek’s family paid a heartfelt tribute to the Dawson’s Creek star on his first birthday since his passing a month ago in February 2026. Kimberly Van Der Beek took to Instagram to pay tribute to the veteran actor and her husband, sharing unseen family photos on her story. Moreover, she claimed that all she wanted to do was watch old videos of her late husband.
James Van Der Beek’s wife, Kimberly, and daughter Emilia remember the actor on birthday
James Van Der Beek’s wife, Kimberly, and children paid tribute to the late Dawson’s Creek star, who would have been 49 years old today. On August 31, 2023, Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage III colorectal cancer. After a battle that stretched for nearly three years, James passed away on February 11 at age 48. Shortly before this, he renewed his vows with Kimberly.
On what would have been the actor’s 49th birthday, his wife paid a heartfelt tribute to him.
She posted a video on Instagram featuring her daughter Emilia, with the caption, “Emilia asked me if she could make a video to post today, walked outside, and came back with this. In my stories are a whole lot of photos and some videos. All I want to do is watch videos of him right now with the kids. Thank you for the tremendous heart, love, and support for the family.” She added, “James… We will celebrate March 8th every day for the rest of our lives.”
In her story, Kimberly shared many unseen photographs of James Van Der Beek with his family. In a photo with her late husband in the stories, she wrote, “Would be your 49th birthday today. And I’m missing you tremendously.” In another, where James can be seen on the family ranch, she wrote, “Just a year and a half ago. Doing what he loved. Working this land.”
In a photo with her and their children, Kimberly wrote, “You are the light of our lives. Your love. Beauty. Presence. Tenderness. Protection. Safety. Creativity. Singing. I’m so grateful for the time.” In a later photo, she addressed James directly, writing, “Baby, you were the best humanity had to offer. This is a loss I don’t know how to process. I will love you forever.”
Many fans also paid tribute to the late actor.
