A GoFundMe has raised over $2 million in donations for “Dawson’s Creek” star James Van Der Beek’s wife and six children.
The actor died on Wednesday, Feb. 11, after a 2-year battle with colorectal cancer. He was 48.
James is best known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery on The WB’s “Dawson’s Creek” (1998–2003). His film credits include Varsity Blues (1999), Texas Rangers (2001), The Rules of Attraction (2002), Formosa Betrayed (2009), Labor Day (2013), and Bad Hair (2020).
James was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in August 2023. He kept his diagnosis a secret until November 2024.
In an interview with PEOPLE, he said his primary symptom was a change in bowel habits, which he overlooked because he thought it was related to his coffee consumption.
“I thought, I probably need to change my diet a little bit. Maybe I need to stop [drinking] coffee. Maybe I need to not put cream in the coffee. And then I finally took that out of the diet, and it didn’t improve, and I thought, all right, I better go get this checked out.”
A colonoscopy confirmed his stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis.
“I felt really, really good as I was coming out of anesthesia that I had finally done it and looked into it,” he said. “And as I was coming out of the haze, the gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — it is cancer.”
Stage 3 colon cancer meant his cancer had spread from the colon to nearby tissues and his lymph nodes.
James said he dealt with the diagnosis privately with the support of his family. He blamed his cancer diagnosis on his diet of processed food.
“I think the country is waking up to connecting with our food and recognizing just how much it’s processed and how far away it’s gotten from the way nature intended,” he said.
Following his diagnosis, he made a habit of reading nutrition labels and researching what goes into the food he bought.
“I would encourage everyone to do the same because this is not a fun process,” he said of colorectal cancer treatment. “There are a lot of assumptions, I think, that we’ve all grown up with about what’s healthy and what’s not. And I think it would all do us some good to throw out those assumptions.”
“We know colorectal cancer has been increasing in young people and it is not exactly clear why,” Dr. Peter Stanich, gastroenterologist, told HELLO!. “Part of this is likely due to increasing obesity and changes in diets over time, but many people are still investigating the cause of this.”
Dr. Stanich said screenings are important for people who are experiencing signs and symptoms of colon cancer such as blood in the stool.
“If you are experiencing blood in the bowel movements or iron deficiency anemia (low iron levels in the blood), these are concerning at any age and you need to discuss with your healthcare team and have a colonoscopy to be evaluated for colorectal cancer as well as other potential non-cancerous causes.”
Dr. Stanich recommends exercise and a healthy diet that includes fish and vegetables while limiting red meat and processed meat (hot dogs, fast food burgers, etc.).
James leaves behind his wife Kimberly and their six children: Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4.
Friends of James’ widow, Kimberly, created a GoFundMe page to raise money to support his family.
“In the wake of this loss, Kimberly and the children are facing an uncertain future,” the GoFundMe page reads.
The campaign surpassed its goal of $1.5 million in less than 24 hours.
Director Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw donated $25,000. “Wicked” filmmaker Jon M. Chu donated $10,000, talent agent Kevin Huvane donated $5,000, and investor Guy Oseary donated $10,000.
The Marla Maples Foundation, a non-profit organization set up by actress Marla Maples, contributed $5,000, and one anonymous donor gave $30,000.
Actress Zoe Saldana, the highest paid star in Hollywood, pledged to donate $2,500 per month to James’ family.
Actor Alfonso Ribeiro shared a touching photo of his final moments with his good friend, James.
Alfonso captioned the image: “This was taken by @vanderkimberly just a few minutes before I said my last goodbye.”
The “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” actor added that their final moments together were filled with laughter. “My last moment was making him laugh one last time.”
