Busy Philipps Remembers James Van Der Beek As ‘One in a Billion’

James Van Der Beek, the charismatic actor who starred as the heart-on-his-sleeve Dawson Leery in the hit TV drama Dawson’s Creek, was remembered by his co-star Busy Philipps following his death on Feb. 11 at the age of 48 following a battle with colorectal cancer.

“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,” wrote Philipps in a social media post, alongside photos of them together. “But I am profoundly heartbroken for his incredible wife Kimberly and their six magical children,” she added, directing fans to a GoFundMe for his family. “James Van Der Beek was one in a billion and he will be forever missed and i don’t know what else to say. i am just so so sad,” Philipps continued. “He was my friend and i loved him and i’m so grateful for our friendship all these years.”

Philipps was cast as Audrey Liddell during Season Five of Dawson’s Creek, starring alongside Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson. The series ran for six seasons and ended in 2003. The crew reunited for a live reading of the 1998 pilot episode in September to help raise money for the F Cancer Organization and Van Der Beek after he shared his own diagnosis in 2023.

Van Der Beek later announced on Instagram that he was forced to drop out of the reunion due to illness. “Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there,” he wrote in a post at the time. “I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.”

Former cast members, friends, and Hollywood peers have continued to mourn the loss of the actor following news of his death. “James was a giant,” Van Der Beek’s One Tree Hill co-star Chad Michael Murray wrote in a remembrance. “His words, art and humanity inspired all of us- he inspired us to be better in all ways.”