James Van Der Beek death: Katie Holmes pens touching handwritten tribute to Dawson’s Creek co-star
Katie Holmes has penned a touching tribute to her late Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek.
The actor, best known as the titular character of the late ’90s teen drama, died on Wednesday, aged 48, after a battle with colorectal cancer.
Holmes told followers in a post on social media, alongside a photo of a handwritten letter, the loss was “a lot to process” but she “formed some words with a heavy heart”.
“I am so grateful to have shared in a piece of James’ journey,” she wrote in the caption.
“He is beloved. Kimberly, we love you and will be here always for you and your beautiful children.”
Holmes played the character of Joey Potter – the childhood friend turned love interest of Van Der Beek’s Dawson Leery.
She thanked the actor for giving her younger self a safe space to be in during their time on screen together, with the show running for six seasons between 1998 and 2003.
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“James, thank you,” Holmes said.
“To share a space with your imagination is sacred — breathing the same air in the land of make believe and trusting that each other’s hearts are safe in their expression.
“These are some of the memories, along with laughter, conversations about life, James Taylor songs — adventures of a unique youth.”
Holmes listed the father-of-six’s traits, including “compassion, bravery, selflessness and strength”, before labelling his life “the journey of a hero”.
“An appreciation for life with the integrity that life is art — creating a beautiful marriage, six loving children — the journey of a hero,” the mum-of-one said.
The 47-year-old actress said she was mourning the loss “with a heart holding the reality of his absence and deep gratitude for his imprint on it”.
Holmes was recently among the Dawson’s Creek cast who reunited for the first time in 22 years, coming together on Broadway for a special one-off reading of the pilot episode of the hit TV series as a cancer fundraiser.
Joshua Jackson, who played Dawson’s best friend, Pacey Witter, was also there, alongside another of Dawson’s on-screen love interests, Academy Award winner Michelle Williams, who played Jen Lindley.
Jackson and Williams are yet to pay tribute publicly following the actor’s death.
Busy Philips, who played Audrey Liddell in the drama, remembered the actor as “one in a billion” and said he’ll be “forever missed”.
“My heart is deeply hurting for all of us today…every person who knew James and loved him, anyone who loved his work or had the pleasure of meeting him, all of his dear friends and community that surrounded him as he battled this illness, especially his parents and brother and sister,” the actress wrote on Instagram.
“But I am profoundly heartbroken for his incredible wife Kimberly and their six magical children.”
The Girls5Eva star added that she was “just so so sad”.
“He was my friend and I loved him and I’m so grateful for our friendship all these years,” she wrote.
Van Der Beek’s TV mum, Mary-Margaret Humes, shared a smiling photo of the pair on Instagram and noted she was “lost for words” following the news of his death.
“Rarely am I at a loss for words … today would be the exception,” she said.
“James, my gracious warrior, you fought a hard battle against all odds with such quiet strength and dignity. I will always love and admire you for that.”
She revealed the on-screen mother and son had kept in touch during his final days.
“Our last conversations … merely a few days ago … are forever sitting softly in my heart for safe keeping,” she wrote.
“To our extended Dawson’s Creek family of friends … please be respectful of our silences at the moment as Beautiful Kimberly and family have asked for peaceful privacy for now.”
The show’s creator, Kevin Williamson, was also at a loss for words.
“Several times today, from my heart, I’ve tried to form the words to express the beautiful brilliance of James and what his presence has meant to my life,” he wrote on Instagram.
“But I am truly at a loss for words. I will have to trust that one day those words will come… But today, all I can think about is Kimberly and the entire Van Der Beek family. My heart is with you.”
Kerr Smith, who played Jack McPhee from seasons two to six, wrote on Instagram: “I’m so grateful for being able to call James a brother. I’ll miss him deeply. Rest easy.”
Sasha Alexander, who played Pacey’s sister Gretchen Witter, said she was “heartbroken” over the loss of the “deep, thoughtful soul”.
“It feels like yesterday that we were sitting beneath those pink Wilmington sunsets, filming during the beautiful Dawson’s Creek years,” she wrote alongside a photo on-set.
“What made Dawson special was the man who played him.
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“James was a deep, thoughtful soul. He took his work seriously, not out of ego, but out of care.”
Co-star Chad Michael Murray shared the family’s GoFundMe link on his Instagram Story, telling fans: “Let’s be a blessing to his family. He was a blessing to us”.
The fundraiser for his family, who have been left with an “uncertain future” following the crippling costs of his cancer treatment have been inundated with donations, almost reaching the $US1.5 million ($2.1 million) target in less than 24 hours.
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