Kimberly Brook, the widow of actor James Van Der Beek, posted over 60 Instagram stories on Sunday to mark what would have been his 49th birthday, expressing that she is 'missing him tremendously.' Van Der Beek, best known for his role in Dawson's Creek, died on February 11 at age 48 after a two-year battle with stage III colorectal cancer.
Brook, 43, shared videos from 2025 showing Van Der Beek working on their 36-acre Texas ranch, dancing with their children, and a clip where he and their daughter Annabel synchronised removing their sunglasses. In her tribute, she wrote: 'The way you were at births, held our newborns, revered me... I will cherish forever.' She added: 'You are the light of our lives. You love, beauty, presence, tenderness, protection, safety, creativity and singing.'
The couple, married for 15 years, renewed their wedding vows days before his death. Brook told People on February 17: 'We decided two days beforehand and our friends got us new rings, filled our bedroom with flowers and candles and we renewed our vows from bed.' Van Der Beek is survived by their six children: Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, nine, Gwendolyn, seven, and Jeremiah, four.
A GoFundMe page set up by family friends has raised over $2.7 million from 51,000 donations, exceeding its $1.5 million goal, to help cover living expenses, medical bills and the children's education. Van Der Beek's final screen role is in the thriller The Gates, which opens in US cinemas this Friday.
