James Van Der Beek recently passed away following a three-year battle with cancer. His tragic demise prompted an outpouring of tributes from both his Dawson’s Creek co-stars and other actors. Katie Holmes is one of the co-stars who paid tribute to the late actor. She wrote a heartfelt tribute and shared it on Instagram.
Katie Holmes shares emotional tribute to James Van Der Beek
On Instagram, Katie Holmes shared a picture of the tribute she wrote for James Van Der Beek. In the caption accompanying the photo, the Batman Begins actress shared that she penned it with “a heavy heart,” adding that Van Der Beek’s demise was “a lot to process.”
She expressed gratitude for having been a small part of the Dawson’s Creek star’s journey. “He is beloved,” Holmes further stated. “Kimberly, we love you and will be here always for you and your beautiful children.”
Check out her tribute below:
In the beloved teen drama, Holmes essayed Joey Potter, the childhood best friend and former girlfriend of Dawson Leery, played by Van Der Beek. In the first season, she finds herself in a complex love triangle with Dawson and Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams), until the latter two break up. Potter starts dating Leery in Season 2. However, their relationship ends after the former becomes guilty about betraying her father by getting a confession of his cocaine dealings via a bug for the police on Leery’s urging.
Subsequent seasons show Potter and Leery trying to maintain their friendship, complicated by obstacles like her growing feelings for Pacey Witter, whom she starts dating.
Holmes wasn’t the only Dawson’s Creek star who paid tribute to Van Der Beek. Busy Phillips, who portrayed Audrey Liddell, wrote on Instagram, “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.”
She continued, “James Van Der Beek was one in a billion and he will be forever missed and i don’t know what else to say. i am just so so sad. He was my friend and i loved him and i’m so grateful for our friendship all these years.”
Meanwhile, Mary-Margaret Humes, who portrayed Van Der Beek’s on-screen mother/Dawson’s mother, Gail Leery, called the late actor “[her] gracious warrior.” She praised his “quiet strength and dignity” in fighting his cancer, saying she would “always love and admire [him] for that.”
