James Van Der Beek’s wife honors ‘magnificent’ late husband on first Father’s Day since his death

James Van Der Beek’s wife Kimberly Van Der Beek shared a heartfelt tribute to the late actor on the first Father’s Day since his passing.

“The Dawson’s Creek” star died in February at the age of 48 after a battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer. On Sunday, June 21, Kimberly honored James in an Instagram post, featuring a slideshow in which the actor was pictured with their six children over the years.

“Missing you so much and thinking of how magnificent you were in every single way today. And somehow, from the other side? You continue to parent. You’re a marvel. 🩵” Kimberly wrote in the caption.

Kimberly’s carousel included individual photos of James with each of their children, including daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 10 and Gwendolyn, 8 and sons Joshua, 14 and Jeremiah, 4. She also posted group photos of James with their children, including one in which they were seen cuddling in bed and another in which they struck playful poses on a sunny day.

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In one photo, the entire Van Der Beek family beamed while sitting together on a boat. Kimberly also shared two photos of herself with her late husband.

James and Kimberly, (née Brook), first met while they were both vacationing in Israel in 2009. The couple tied the knot on Aug. 1, 2010, during a small ceremony in Tel Aviv, Israel, at the Kabbalah Centre near Dizengoff Square. 

In February, Kimberly revealed that she and James held a “simple and beautiful and moving” vow renewal ceremony attended by close family and friends, with some joining via Zoom shortly before the actor’s death.

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“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,” she told People magazine at the time.

James revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in November 2024, more than a year before his death. He had first received his diagnosis in August 2023 but initially did not share it with the public.

On Feb. 11, Kimberly announced his death in a statement shared on James’ official Instagram account. “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” a statement read. “He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”

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To honor what would have been James’ 49th birthday on March 8, Kimberly shared a video recorded by their daughter Emilia in a post on social media. 

“As you all know probably now, my dad has passed away, but I’m just going to tell you little tips, or anything that helps you getting through anybody you love who’s passing,” Emilia began.

“So today is my dad’s birthday, and the No. 1 thing for somebody’s passing is to talk to them and let your emotions out. If you miss them, you can cry, you can talk to them. I talk to my dad every day and I start with a sentence and I say, ‘Hi dad, I miss you and I love you so much, and I’ll never stop loving you.'”

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“And I just tell him about my day, how I’m feeling, and I tell my family how I’m feeling, and I know he can hear me, but I can’t hear him. My mom can,” she continued. “You just, you have to feel them in your heart, because they’re in your heart. They’re watching over you. They are a part of your body, and in a good place. I know that my dad’s in a good place. He’s not in pain anymore. He’s in heaven.”

Emilia noted that her dad is “above the clouds with God,” and told her mother’s followers that it was OK to cry.

 “Be sad because you miss them. You can be angry but don’t blame yourself. Blaming yourself — it’s not a good strategy for someone’s passing,” she said. “And if somebody also lost their dog, or like, somebody they love, and you did too, and they try to tell you, ‘I know how you feel. I felt worse.’ They don’t know how you feel.”

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 “Everybody has different emotions in their body and they express it in different ways, many, many different ways.”

“Something my dad told me was, if this didn’t work out the way he wanted it to and the way we wanted it to, for him living, I still have to believe in miracles,” Emilia added. “Miracles can still happen just later on in life, and they’ll keep coming. But maybe when you want them to come, they might not. But if they do pass, if they do go — just remember, they have some work to do on the other side.”

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Emilia said she prays to her dad, and knows that “he was a good man.” She kept one of his hats because it smelled like the “Varsity Blues” actor.

“A lot of people loved him, and people prayed for him, and he was loved by many, many hearts and many, many people,” she said.

Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.