James Van Der Beek Gofundme surpasses $500,000 goal just HOURS after cancer-stricken star’s death at 48

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A fundraising campaign on GoFundMe for James Van Der Beek’s family quickly exceeded its $500,000 target, just hours after the announcement of his passing.

Joshua Jackson, known for his role on Dawson’s Creek, passed away on Wednesday, February 11th, at the age of 48, after fighting colorectal cancer for two years.

I’m absolutely heartbroken. It’s just… unimaginable. He leaves behind his incredible wife, Kimberly, and their six beautiful children! Olivia’s fifteen, and Annabel is twelve, and then there’s Emilia, who’s nine, and little Gwendolyn is only seven. And the boys – Joshua is thirteen, and sweet Jeremiah is just four! My heart aches for all of them. It’s just… a whole family. A beautiful, wonderful family.

Kimberly announced the passing of her husband on Instagram and shared a link to a GoFundMe page created by their friends to offer support.

Kimberly shared on Instagram that her friends made a link to help her and her children through a difficult time. She expressed both thankfulness and sadness in her post.

The fundraiser explained that donations will be used to help with basic needs like bills and living costs, as well as to support the Van Der Beek children’s schooling.

The Van Der Beek family received over $100,000 in donations within the first hour of their GoFundMe campaign launching.

I’m thrilled to share some incredible news! As of this afternoon, we’ve already exceeded our fundraising goal! Over 8,000 generous people have contributed, and we’ve raised more than $527,000 – that’s beyond the original $500,000 we were hoping for. It’s truly amazing to see such incredible support!

The goal has since been raised to $1 million. 

James David Van Der Beek died peacefully this morning. He faced his final days with courage, faith, and dignity.

We have many fond memories of his kindness, his deep care for others, and his appreciation for every moment. We will share more about that later. Right now, we ask for privacy and peace as we mourn the loss of our beloved husband, father, son, brother, and friend.

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE who reacted to the family’s post! Jennifer Garner, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lucy Hale, even Christie Brinkley and Rumer Willis all hit the ‘like’ button! I’m seriously freaking out – these are some of my absolute favorites, and they’re showing support! It’s just… amazing!

Van Der Beek announced in November 2024 that he had cancer.

He explained that there’s no easy way to share this news, but he’d been planning to discuss it in detail with People magazine soon. He wanted to share his story and raise awareness in his own words.

However, that plan changed this morning when I found out a tabloid newspaper was about to publish the story.

I’ve been privately focusing on my health and getting treatment, and I’m feeling much better and stronger now. This has been a challenging experience, and I’ll share more details when I feel comfortable doing so.

I apologize to everyone I intended to share this news with personally. Things haven’t gone as planned, and the timing is different than I expected. But we’re embracing the unexpected turns, believing they’re guiding us towards something even better than we imagined. My family and I are incredibly grateful for all your love and support.

Van Der Beek later shared with People that he was coping with his health issues thanks to the support of his wonderful family.

He’s significantly slowed his pace over the last two years, focusing on rest and self-care. As he explained in an interview on Today, he’s embracing the journey rather than rushing things. He sees it as an ongoing process, something he’ll likely continue to work on throughout his life.

The star was often updated fans on social media about his cancer journey.

He shared that he’s been feeling gradually better each month, noting his weight loss journey has demanded a lot from him – more patience, self-control, and inner strength than he realized he possessed. While he always knew he was strong, he discovered a new level of resilience within himself during this process.

He last posted on Instagram January 25th, looking fit and well while wishing a happy birthday to his daughter and father.

In 2020, the actor and his family left Los Angeles for a more relaxed lifestyle on a ranch in Austin, Texas.

James Van Der Beek became famous in the 1990s at age 20, starring as Dawson Leery on the popular TV show Dawson’s Creek.

The show aired on the WB Network from 1998 to 2003, lasting six seasons, and helped make stars of Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson.

Katie played Joey Potter, Dawson’s first love, on the show. Joshua was Pacey Witter, another friend and Joey’s eventual soulmate. Michelle rounded out the main group of friends as the independent and sometimes troubled Jen Lindley.

When Van Der Beek first became famous for starring in the teen drama, he wasn’t ready for the attention it brought.

It took him a while to become well-known, and he admitted he had a lot to learn along the way, telling People magazine in 2024 that it was a significant learning process.

Things were different before. Now our interactions are more mature, but I used to really struggle with it. I enjoyed just watching people and having spontaneous chats – I loved being a quiet observer.

I was really hurt that simple, genuine interactions – casual chats or small acts of kindness – disappeared once ‘celebrity’ came between me and other people, and suddenly became the focus of everything.

Even though becoming famous worldwide was challenging, Van Der Beek ultimately really valued his experience working on Dawson’s Creek.

I was so thrilled to hear that he really enjoyed getting back in touch with his old co-stars lately. And the biggest news? They’re all getting together for a live table read of the very first episode of the show in August 2025! It’s amazing to think they’ll all be back together again.

The event was a single-night fundraiser supporting both the F Cancer organization and James Van Der Beek during his fight with cancer.

Just days before the event, Van Der Beek sadly announced he had to cancel his appearance because he was sick.

In a video message played during the event, he shared his sadness, explaining he’d been eagerly anticipating the night ever since Michelle Williams told him she was organizing it months ago.

James Van Der Beek, originally from Cheshire, Connecticut, began acting at age 13. He had to stop playing football after a concussion and his doctor advised him to stay off the field for a year, which led him to try acting instead.

He landed the role of Danny Zuko in his school production of Grease.

He continued pursuing theater and, by 1994 at age 16, secured roles in two productions: a performance of Edward Albee’s Finding the Sun off-Broadway, and as one of the sons in a revival of Shenandoah at the well-respected Goodspeed Opera House in his home state.

He received a scholarship to Drew University in New Jersey, but he dropped out to pursue his role on the TV show Dawson’s Creek.

In 2024, the university awarded him an honorary degree, recognizing his dedication and selfless contributions to Drew’s values and goals.

He’s also known for his roles in several films, including Texas Rangers (2001), Rules of Attraction (2002), The Plague (2006), Final Draft (2007), Labor Day (2013), Downsizing (2017), and Bad Hair (2020).

He made guest appearances on several popular TV shows, including One Tree Hill, Mercy, Law & Order: SVU, How I Met Your Mother, Friends With Better Lives, CSI: Cyber, Pose, Vampirina, and Overcompensating.

The actor will next appear in the TV series ‘Elle,’ which is based on the movie ‘Legally Blonde.’ Lexi Minetree will play the lead role of Elle Woods.

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2026-02-12 02:56