James Vanderbeek has died. He was 48.

[samhexum]

James Vanderbeek has died. He was 48. He had been fighting colorectal cancer for a couple of years.

https://www.tvline.com/2099069/james-van-der-beek-dead-obituary-dawsons-creek/

Edited Wednesday at 09:09 PM by samhexum

[jeezifonly]

Worked on a play he did onstage at the Geffen Playhouse about 13 yrs back. He was fine in the role (very odd play) and sweet and sexy in person. Far too young. 😢

[TonyDown]

I watched "The Rules of Attraction" last night.  

VanDerBeek was the highlight of the movie.  A great actor.  ❤️

R.I.P.

 

 

 

[Becket]

53 minutes ago, TonyDown said:

I watched "The Rules of Attraction" last night.  

VanDerBeek was the highlight of the movie.  A great actor.  ❤️

R.I.P.

 

 

 

Agreed. The fantasy hook up scene between James and Ian was so damn hot. Very sexy and didn't show anything more than shirts off. RIP James. So glad to see the GOFUNDME they set up for his family (he leaves a wife and SIX young children) is over $2 million and counting. Apparently the cancer treatment ate up all their money. And sadly, James received NO residuals for reruns of his famous TV show, Dawson's Creek.  

[TonyDown]

Six kids is a lot.  Hopefully the GoFundMe will soften the strain.

[EZEtoGRU]

Hmm…Seems that James bought a $4.7 million ranch in Texas a month before dying. Not clear if he paid cash or took out a mortgage for part of the cost. Either way, it raises lots of questions about the GoFundMe that his wife set up after his death. At best this is bad optics…at worst, it could be fraud and getting on the gravy train dishonestly via the kindness of others. 
 

The cancer and leaving behind six kids is very sad. What is coming out now seems pretty sketchy though.  Reminds me of Erica Kirk’s shenanigans post her husbands death. 
 

let’s see how this story develops. 

https://www.tmz.com/2026/02/13/james-van-der-beek-purchased-texas-ranch-before-dying/

Edited 10 hours ago by EZEtoGRU

[MikeBiDude]

19 minutes ago, EZEtoGRU said:

Hmm…Seems that James bought a $4.7 million ranch in Texas a month before dying

IDK so much speculation with so little facts.

They had already been living on the property (renting it). The only thing that tweaked my interest here…in Texas your primary residence can be excluded from bankruptcy proceedings. Maybe his medical bills or other issues have cost the family too much? If money runs out and they file for BK…the ranch *might* be a safe haven.

*here’s me - who doesn’t like conspiracy posts - adding to one 🤣

[EZEtoGRU]

Yeah…I guess we can’t jump to conclusions quite yet. Probably need a little more meat around the bones of this story. Sure does merit the questions being asked though. 
 

[BSR]

2 hours ago, MikeBiDude said:

IDK so much speculation with so little facts.

They had already been living on the property (renting it). The only thing that tweaked my interest here…in Texas your primary residence can be excluded from bankruptcy proceedings. Maybe his medical bills or other issues have cost the family too much? If money runs out and they file for BK…the ranch *might* be a safe haven.

*here’s me - who doesn’t like conspiracy posts - adding to one 🤣

Van Der Beek & family had been renting the ranch since 2020, but shortly before he died, with the help from friends for the down payment, he purchased it.  So it sounds like the family has very little equity in the property.  

James said that even with insurance, fighting cancer was extremely expensive, which is sadly all too true in America.  My guess is that the medical bills wiped out most of his liquid net worth, and the family is left with only the ranch (with little equity) and the $2.3 million raised in the GoFundMe.

His widow & 6 kids didn’t exactly make out like bandits.  They’ve secured a stable housing situation but will never own the ranch outright.  Thanks to the GoFundMe, they have enough money for the near- and medium-term but are far from set for life.  I wish them all the best.

[marylander1940]

On 2/14/2026 at 12:24 AM, TonyDown said:

I watched "The Rules of Attraction" last night.  

VanDerBeek was the highlight of the movie.  A great actor.  ❤️

R.I.P.

 

 

 

Great movie, unfortunately very few even heard about it.