Katie Holmes, ‘Dawson’s Creek’ crew pay tribute to James Van Der Beek: ‘A hero’

(NewsNation) — Katie Holmes called her late “Dawson’s Creek” co-star James Van Der Beek a “Hero” in an emotional open letter posted to Instagram.

Holmes, that night, posted a picture of a handwritten letter addressed to “James,” saying she wrote the message with a “heavy heart.”

“Thank you,” she began the letter. “To share space with your imagination is sacred — breathing the same air in the land of make believe and trusting that each others’ hearts are safe in their expression.”

James Van Der Beek and Katie Holmes are pictured at the GLAAD Media Awards in 2008. (SGranitz/WireImage)

Holmes alluded to “laughter,” “conversations” and “James Taylor songs” the two had bonded over in their “unique youth.”

She then called Van Der Been a “Hero.”

Bravery. Compassion, Selflessness. Strength. An appreciation for life and the action taken to live life with the integrity that life is art — creating a beautiful marriage, six loving children  — the journey of a Hero.”

“I mourn this loss with a heart holding the reality of his absence and deep gratitude for his imprint on it,” she said, before addressing Van Der Beek’s widow Kimberly. “To Kimberly and the children, we are here for you always. And will always he there to shower you with Love and Compassion.”

Holmes and Van Der Beek had starred together on “Dawson’s Creek” for all six seasons of the series.

‘Dawson’s Creek’ family remembers James Van Der Beek

“Dawson’s Creek” creator Kevin Williamson also paid tribute to Van Der Beek, saying it was difficult for him to put his feelings into words.

“Several times today, from my heart, I’ve tried to form the words to express the beautiful brilliance of James and what his presence has meant to my life. But I am truly at a loss for words,” he wrote on Instagram next to an image of him and Van Der Beek. “I will have to trust that one day those words will come.”

“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. He was my friend and I loved him and I’m so grateful for our friendship all these years,” she wrote.

Van Der Beek, who shares six kids with his wife Kimberly, revealed his cancer diagnosis to People in November 2024, which he discovered during a routine colonoscopy.

“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he told the outlet at the time.

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