Ilaria Urbinati/Instagram
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James Van Der Beek's stylist, Ilaria Urbinati, honored the late actor with a touching Instagram post on Thursday, Feb. 12
The actor died on Feb. 11 at 48 after being diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2023
In her message, Urbinati praised Van Der Beek for his dedication to his wife, Kimberly, and their six kids
James Van Der Beekwas the ultimate family man.
In a tribute to the late actor,who died at the age of 48 on Wednesday, Feb. 11after a journey with cancer, his longtime stylist, Ilaria Urbinati, remembered his legacy. Alongside a series of photos — which captured candid moments of Van Der Beek over the years — Urbinati shared a heartfelt message.
"15 years of friendship. Years of memories and fittings and kids (and more kids), of weekly baby music classes, life events, bonding over ups and downs, of sage parenting advice that shaped me as a parent like no one else has," she wrote onInstagramon Thursday. "Over a decade of fittings - the way he loved clothes! The way he was endlessly amused at my bossiness. He had the deepest, best laugh."
Urbinati went on to highlight theDawson's Creekstar's relationship with his wife of nearly 16 years, Kimberly Van Der Beek, with whom he shared six children: daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, and Gwendolyn, 7, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, 4.
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"The way he and Kimberly took me in as a friend first and foremost, and eventually as family - like they have with so many," Urbinati wrote. "The way I remember every single one of their kids as babies. The flowers he sent me every birthday (a class act he was). The way they shared their spirituality, their love of family, their love of health. And set an example for everyone. I don't even know where to begin to explain the kind of person James was. Warm. Generous. Open. Self deprecating. So at ease in vulnerability."
"I have never seen anyone love and adore his wife and kids like he did. Or be so forthright with his affection - he would send the warmest texts out of nowhere," she continued. "I got to see him a lot this last year, he was working hard for his family."
The stylist concluded by writing, "I don't think i will ever again come across anyone so serene and joyful through such adversity. He could make you believe in a miracle. If anyone deserves a miracle it was him and his incredible family. And it's hard not to feel how unfair this is. But the truth is that his beautiful life and the way he touched so many, was its own kind of magic. I love you James. Thank you for all of it."
Kimberly confirmedthe news of her late husband's death on Instagramon Wednesday. "Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," she shared. "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."
James Van Der Beek/Instagram
Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023 andannounced the diagnosis publicly in an exclusive interview with PEOPLEin November 2024. At the time, he said he had been "privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family."
"There's reason for optimism, and I'm feeling good," he added.
The cancer was discovered through a colonoscopy Van Der Beek had in afterexperiencing symptomshe said did not seem concerning. "It was just a change in bowel habits," he told PEOPLE. "I thought, I probably need to change my diet a little bit. Maybe I need to stop coffee. Maybe I need to not put cream in the coffee. And then I finally took that out of the diet, and it didn't improve, and I thought, all right, I better go get this checked out."
"I felt really, really good as I was coming out of anesthesia that I had finally done it and looked into it," he continued. "And as I was coming out of the haze, the gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — itiscancer."
He noted that while it was a "shock" and a "full-time job" to have cancer, one of the hardest parts was sharing the news with his loved ones. "Telling people required a lot of energy," he explained. "I'm an empath. I like to take care of everybody. I'm a provider, and especially at that point, I was trying to be Superman and be all things to all people and be a dad and a provider. And so to have to tell people and my father and my siblings and my kids, it was really tricky."
TODAY/YouTube
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Van Der Beek made hisfinal public appearance in an interview withToday's Craig Melvin on Dec. 19, 2025, when he said he was feeling "much, much better than I did a couple months ago."
"It's been a longer journey than I ever thought it would be. It's required more of me — more patience, more discipline, more strength than I knew I had," he confessed. "I knew I was strong — I didn't know I was this strong. But I feel good."
He also called cancer "a gift" in many ways, and shared how he remained optimistic. "One of the things I was really lucky about was when I heard the news, I was like, 'This is gonna be the best thing that's ever happened to me,' " the actor said at the time. "I had this little voice in my head that said, 'You're gonna make changes in your life that you would never, ever make if you didn't have this extreme of a diagnosis, and it's gonna add healthy, happy years to your life.'"
Throughout his career, Van Der Beek became well known for both films and television, including his starring roles inVarsity Blues(1999),Dawson's Creek(1998-2003) andDon't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23(2012–2013) and more.
He most recently appeared in the comedy seriesOvercompensatingand is set to star inElle, the newLegally Blondeprequel series premiering later this year.
Shortly after the news of his death became public, aGoFundMe was created by Kimberly's friends, which stated that the family is struggling financially and asked for support to help "cover essential living expenses, pay bills, and support the children's education."
Read the original article onPeople
