Mary-Margaret Humes is sharing a heartfelt tribute to Van Der Beek, who died at 48 after battling colorectal cancer.

James Van Der Beek’s TV mom at ‘loss for words’ over Dawson’s Creek star’s death days after they last spoke

Mary-Margaret Humes is sharing a heartfelt tribute to Van Der Beek, who died at 48 after battling colorectal cancer.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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February 11, 2026 7:11 p.m. ET

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James Van Der Beek and Mary-Margaret Humes on 'Dawson's Creek'. Credit:

Mary-Margaret Humes, the actress who played James Van Der Beek's loving mother on the '90s teen drama* Dawson's Creek*, is mourning the death of her TV son.

In a heartfelt statement posted to social media Wednesday, she wrote, "Rarely am I at a loss for words … today would be the exception."

Sharing two photos of them together — one from the *Dawson's* days and one more recent — Humes added, "James, my gracious warrior, you fought a hard battle against all odds with such quiet strength and dignity. I will always love and admire you for that.  Our last conversations … merely a few days ago … are forever sitting softly in my heart for safe keeping. To our extended *Dawson's Creek* family of friends … please be respectful of our silences at the moment as Beautiful Kimberly [Van Der Beek's wife] and family have asked for peaceful privacy for now."

Van Der Beek, who portrayed the Steven Spielberg-obsessed title character on all six seasons of *Dawson's Creek*, died Wednesday at 48, after battling colorectal cancer. He disclosed in November 2024 that he had been diagnosed with the disease the previous year.

The stars of *Dawson's Creek*, which aired from 1998 to 2003, were famously close. The cast included Katie Holmes as girl-next-door-turned-crush Joey Potter; Michelle Williams as New York wild child Jen Lindley; and Joshua Jackson as best friend and eventual romantic rival Pacey Whitter. Humes and John Wesley Shipp portrayed Dawson's parents, Gale and Mitch Leery.**

Actress Busy Philipps, who played pal Audrey Liddell beginning in the fifth season, shared her own condolences on social media, writing, "My heart is deeply hurting for all of us today…every person who knew James and loved him, anyone who loved his work or had the pleasure of meeting him, all of his dear friends and community that surrounded him as he battled this illness, especially his parents and brother and sister."**

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In September, Williams, Holmes, Jackson, and more costars reunited for a fundraiser for the organization F Cancer.

Van Der Beek had initially planned to attend too but had to cancel because of his illness.

Still, the actor sent a video message, in which he said, "I can't believe I'm not there" and couldn't "hug my cast mates, my beautiful cast, in person."

'Dawson's Creek' stars Michelle Williams, James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, and Joshua Jackson.

Fergus Greer/Columbia TriStar Television/Courtesy Everett Collection

"I wanted to stand on that stage and thank every single person in this theater for being here tonight," Van Der Beek continued. "From the cast to he crew to everybody who's donated time and been so generous. And especially every single last one of you, the best fans in the world."**

Following Van Der Beek's death, the official social media accounts for the show, along with production company Sony Pictures, paid tribute to their leading man with a photo of him as Dawson: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of James Van Der Beek. His iconic portrayal of Dawson Leery helped define a generation of television for fans and continues to resonate with audiences today. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones."**

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