James Van Der Beek was synonymous with his character. How he embraced it with humour will be his legacy

A beloved early 2000s heart-throb, Dawson's Creek actor James Van Der Beek never shook off the character that shot him to fame.

But how he leaned into it, playing himself in Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23 and numerous other cameos, enshrined his legacy as one of TV's most sensitive leading men, baring his soul on and off the screen.

"It's tough to compete with something that was the cultural phenomenon that Dawson's Creek was," he told Vulture in 2013.

"It ran for so long. That's a lot of hours playing one character in front of people. So it's natural that they associate you with that."

Van Der Beek's family announced on Thursday morning that he died of colorectal cancer, which he told fans he was receiving treatment for in 2024.

"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," a statement from the actor's family on Instagram read.

"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."

Van Der Beek's first major film role was in Varsity Blues, playing a second-string high school quarterback who rises to the challenge when the star suffers an injury.

His character, Mox, yearns for a college education to escape his small Texas town, where football is everything.

"I don't want your life," he screams in one of the film's most recognisable lines.

While still a cult classic to many '90s kids, for most people, he will be forever tied to Dawson's Creek, playing the titular character Dawson Leery from 1998 to 2003.

The clip of Dawson bursting into full, body-shaking tears as the breeze blows through his hair in the finale of season three became one of the most infamous GIFs of all time, replicated millions of times in online conversations.

The scene was the peak of a seasons-long story arc about Dawson watching his soulmate, Joey, played by Katie Holmes, get together with his best friend, Pacey.

"It wasn't scripted that I was supposed to cry; it was just one of those things where it's a magical moment and it just happens in the scene," Van Der Beek told Vanity Fair.

"All of a sudden, six years of work was boiled down to one seven-second clip on loop."

Yet in life after Dawson's Creek, he came around to embracing the character that resonated with so many, even recreating the scene for a skit on Funny Or Die.

Van Der Beek played a fictionalised version of himself as well as cameos as Dawson Leery in several shows and movies.

The most prominent was his role in Don't Trust the B in apartment 23, which ran for two seasons from 2012.

As a parody of himself, his character was arrogant, self-centred, and shamelessly self-promoting, taking on increasingly bizarre roles to try restarting his career.

He also made a cameo as himself in the movie Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, and played Dawson Leerey in Scary Movie.

"The more you make fun of yourself and don't try to go for any kind of respect, the more people seem to respect you," he told Vanity Fair in 2011.

"I've always been a clown trapped in a leading man's body."

Between 2003 and 2013, he made appearances in shows like Criminal Minds, One Tree Hill, and How I Met Your Mother.

He also co-created and played Wesley "Diplo" Pentz, a dull but likeable music producer in the mockumentary satire on Viceland, What Would Diplo Do?

Van Der Beek tried his hand at several reality television competitions, too, becoming a fan favourite on the 28th season of TV contest Dancing with the Stars, finishing fifth overall.

His dance partner, Emma Slater, wrote a tribute on Instagram about their lasting friendship.

"I'm so grateful for you and all you have done for me. Your kindness, patience and empathy for others is unmatched," she wrote on Instagram.

Last year, he was revealed to be the Griffin on The Masked Singer after two performances.

His emotional side, which was immortalised in many tributes from former co-stars and friends, came across in his personal social media accounts, depicting his family's life in Texas with wife Kimberly Brook and six children.

Van Der Beek's Instagram account was known for beautifully shot photos of his children and long, heartfelt captions.

"She turned 7 yesterday. My little gem of a human," he wrote in a post about his daughter's birthday last year.

"Every time you wrap those tiny arms around my neck for a hug, I revel in how blessed I am to be your dad, and how lucky I am to know you at this age."

In March last year, he wrote a long tribute to his wife for helping him through his illness.

"There were many moments this past year when the only thing you could've done … and the most helpful thing you could've done … was to just allow me to be exactly where I was at in my process," he wrote.

"As agonizing as it was for you. That took a strength I don't know that I have. As much as it's sucked to be me at times… I'd wouldn't for a second have traded places — and not because I'm that altruistic — because I don't think I could have taken it."

In his final months, he continued to share about navigating his illness online.

In a post late last year, Van Der Beek spoke about how he found comfort in meditating outside and urged people over 45 to get an early detection test for colorectal cancer.

"If I had caught it early.. The what ifs are a slippery slope," he said in a video while sitting cross-legged under an oak tree on his property.

"I would like to save anybody I could from having to go into that what-if spiral."

He walks with one of his sons, tossing a football around.

"The sooner you know it when it comes to cancer, the better off you'll be."