James Van Der Beek’s heartbreaking final message before death aged 48

Heartbreaking.

The American actor’s final post on Instagram before his death honoured his daughter and his dad.

Van Der Beek, known for Dawson’s Creek, was just 48 when he sadly passed away.

His wife Kimberly, 43, broke the news on Wednesday in an Instagram post.

They married in 2010 and share six kids: Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4.

Van Der Beek shared a photo of himself hugging his daughter Annabel to celebrate her 12th birthday. She shares her birthday with her grandad.

In the post, the actor wrote in the caption: “My father and my daughter share a birthday today. At first, I thought that was all they shared — they seemed so different to me.

“But as the two of you have evolved, and let more of who you are shine through, I can recognize the same open, warm, loving, gentle heart.

“I see the care and dedication you shower upon those you love most. I see the same out-of-the-box Aquarian creativity and originality”, he continued.

“And you both make every room you’re in more fun. Different sense of humor, but you both have a way of alchemizing the vibe around you in such a subtle way one can almost miss how powerfully you do this.”

“In this crazy world, it’s a wonder to me that you’ve managed to stay so open, so tender, and so genuinely good”, James continued.

His wife’s most recent post on Instagram was just before Christmas, on December 21.

“Me and my bae” was the caption of the post that Kimberly shared.

James publicly revealed his cancer diagnosis in November 2024, as he was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2023.

At the time, he told PEOPLE magazine that “I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family”.