The actor's wife announced on Feb. 11 that he had died "peacefully" over two years after he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer
JC Olivera/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty; Michael Becker/FOX
NEED TO KNOW
- On Wednesday, Feb. 11, James Van Der Beek’s wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, announced that the actor died at 48 years old
- Last year, James competed on season 13 of The Masked Singer, and the series paid tribute to him during the episode that aired Wednesday
- The actor was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in August 2023, and he told PEOPLE that going on the reality competition was a “great escape” for him and a way to “put on this mask and just connect with that audience and not have cancer be a part of it at all”
The Masked Singer honored the late James Van Der Beek after his death.
On Wednesday, Feb. 11, the actor's wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, revealed in an Instagram post that James had died "peacefully" earlier that morning. He had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer in August 2023, and shared his diagnosis with PEOPLE in November 2024. "He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace," Kimberly wrote in the post. "For now, we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."
Later that night, a new episode of the Fox singing competition series aired and it began with a tribute to James, who competed on season 13 of the show as the Griffin. “In loving memory of our Griffin, James Van Der Beek," the in memoriam card read, the network confirmed to PEOPLE.
After his identity was revealed and he exited The Masked Singer in March of last year, James admitted he had some fears about joining the reality competition to begin with, but it turned out to be a "great escape" from his ongoing journey with cancer.
"I had not sung in public in a very, very long time," he told PEOPLE. "It was something that I used to do when I was younger, but it was also something I didn't have a ton of confidence in."
Getting on stage ended up being a great way for him to get out of his head. "As much as I was dealing with whatever I was dealing with in my trailer and with the world, it was this great escape to be able to put on this mask and just connect with that audience and not have cancer be a part of it at all," he said.
Being on The Masked Singer was also a chance for James to impress an important lesson upon his six kids. The Dawson's Creek alum said his kids were "very excited" to see him perform and compete on the show.
"They were very excited. I was nervous about it because I hadn't sung in public in a very long time. So, I shared with them how nervous I was. I shared with them my fears. 'Am I gonna lose my voice? Am I gonna sing well enough?' I wanted them to watch me try something that I was a little bit nervous about trying," he said on the Whine Down with Jana Kramer podcast days after he was eliminated. "So it was really cool to see their reaction to it."
His 13-year-old son, Joshua, who he described as "very honest all the time," made a particularly poignant comment after James' time on the show. "'You were better than I thought you would be.' That's like wow, thank you, dude. Appreciate that," James recalled.
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Michael Becker/Fox
In an Instagram post, James called The Masked Singer a "gift of an experience on so many levels."
"Even after all these years in a business built to break down inhibitions, wearing a mask still opened me up to possibilities I never would’ve gotten in touch [with] had I trotted out on stage with my regular ‘ol face," he wrote at the time. "Thanks to everyone involved."
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