James Van Der Beek renewed his wedding vows with his wife Kimberly just days before he died last week.
The Dawson’s Creek actor died aged 48 on February 11, three years after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Announcing his death in a statement shared to Instagram, the family said: ‘Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. 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.’
He is survived by his wife, and their six kids: Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4.
Now, just under a week since her husband died, Kimberly has spoken publicly for the first time, in which she also revealed they undertook a vow renewal ceremony recently.
‘We decided two days beforehand and our friends got us new rings, filled our bedroom with flowers and candles and we renewed our vows from bed,’ she told People.
Kimberly then called the ceremony ‘simple, beautiful and moving’.
The couple had their family and a few close friends in attendance. One friend, instrumentalist Poranguí, played the ‘most beautiful music’ and closed the ceremony with Somewhere Over the Rainbow, while additional friends watched over Zoom.
Van Der Beek and Kimberly first met on a trip to Israel in 2009, returning there to get married a year later, in a small ceremony at the Kabbalah Center in Tel Aviv.
In an Instagram post in 2020, Van Der Beek detailed their first meeting and whirlwind start to their relationship.
‘I was in Israel, on a trip with an organised group, when it hit me: I was done being single,’ he shared.
‘I wanted a real relationship. A soul mate. Someone with whom I could build a family. I was mid-revelation, rattling all this off to a friend of mine when a voice interrupted us, wanting to ask him a question. I was annoyed. Who the hell was stepping all over my moment?’
That voice belonged to Kimberly. ‘Three days later, I asked her what she was looking for in a relationship. Her answer: “I’m not looking for a relationship.’ Six months later we were living together. Two weeks after that we were pregnant, and almost exactly one year to the date after she’d first interrupted me…we were married.’
In 2023 he marked their 13th wedding anniversary by sharing details of their nuptials.
‘We rushed to get ready, had a bunch of people we didn’t know (and a few we did) dance around us, got ambushed by Israeli paparazzi afterwards, then ate at an outdoor Lebanese dive with plastic tablecloths and chairs and amazing food…and we were off,’ he recalled in an Instagram post.
He went on: ‘We’ve gone through success, tragedy, joy, stress, triumph, uncertainty, and through it all…these have been the best years of my life. Every moment. Because I have the BEST adventure partner. Our life is CRAZY right now. We might be crazier. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
In the hours after the actor’s death, friends set up a GoFundMe to raise money for his family, who were said to be facing an ‘uncertain future’.
Initially set up with a goal to raise $1.5million (£1.1million), donations have now surpassed $2.6million (£1.9million).
The description for the GoFundMe donation page for the family, which has seen significant donations come from directors Steven Spielberg and Jon M. Chu, began by sharing: ‘James Van Der Beek was a beloved husband, father, and friend who touched the lives of everyone around him. Throughout his illness, the family faced not only emotional challenges but also significant financial strain as they did everything possible to support James and provide for his care.
‘In the wake of this loss, Kimberly and the children are facing an uncertain future. The costs of James’s medical care and the extended fight against cancer have left the family out of funds.
‘They are working hard to stay in their home and to ensure the children can continue their education and maintain some stability during this incredibly difficult time.’
The description went on to note that the funds raised would go towards ‘essential living expenses, pay bills, and support the children’s education’ as the family looks to ‘rebuild their lives’ after their loss.
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