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Dawson’s Creek a creator Kevin Wilson memory James Van Der Beek with an emotional tribute nearly eight months after the actor’s death.
Williamson, 61, paid tribute to Van Der Beek as he received a Hero Award at the Barbara Berlanti Hero Gala in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday, October 3.
“James Van Beek gave voice to my childhood,” Williamson said of Van Der Beek, who played Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creekwhich was inspired by Williamson’s own childhood.
“It was the soul of the show, and by the way, it was the last update,” Williamson continued, according to Deadline. “I had the great pleasure of knowing James over many years. I saw him go from a young child to a great man – a man, a father and a friend.”
Williamson went on to say that Van Der Beek had a “great character” during the teen drama’s six-season run as he recalled their on-set dynamic.
“It started as a banner. He’d get a script and he’d call me, and he’d be like, ‘Why do I have to say this word? Nobody knows what this word means,'” Williamson said. “And I’d say, ‘Well, don’t worry about it, the way you laugh, no one’s going to hear it anyway.’ That was our relationship – Dawson talking to Dawson.
Williamson said Van Der Beek’s death in February at age 48 “hit me hard.” (The actor announced that he was diagnosed with stage III colorectal cancer in November 2024.)
“I think he’s here with us tonight,” Williamson said. “He’ll be with us forever. He’s great, so I can’t believe I deserve any award, but I’ll accept it. I’ll accept it in memory of my mother. I’ll accept it in memory of James Van Der Beek, and I’ll accept it fully.” Dawson’s Creek family.”
James Van Der Beek shared an emotional message about his cancer diagnosis just two months before he died at the age of 48 on Wednesday, February 11. “As soon as I heard the news [about my colorectal cancer diagnosis]I went into shock,” Van Der Beek admitted to Craig Melvin today on December 19, 2025, in what […]
Van Der Beek’s death was announced in a statement shared via the actor’s Instagram account on February 11.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith and grace,” the statement said. “There is much to be said for his aspirations, his love for humanity and the sanctity of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we mourn our beloved father, son, brother and friend.”
The actor lives with his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek – whom he married in August 2010 – and their six children: daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia and Gwendolyn and sons Joshua and Jeremiah.
