James Van Der Beek urged fans not to ignore one specific colorectal cancer symptom before his death on Wednesday, February 11, at age 48.
In a resurfaced interview from November 2024, Van Der Beek revealed to People that there was one indicator for his eventual stage III colorectal cancer he didn’t think much of when it first happened.
“It was just a change in bowel habits,” he said while speaking about his diagnosis publicly for the first time. “I thought, I probably need to change my diet a little bit. Maybe I need to stop [drinking] coffee. Maybe I need to not put cream in the coffee.” (Colorectal cancer begins in the longest part of the large intestine, called the colon, which contributes to bowel habits.)
The Dawson’s Creek actor noted, “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.”
When Van Der Beek did have a routine colonoscopy in August 2023 he recalled feeling “really, really good as I was coming out of anesthesia that I had finally done it and looked into it.”
But that happy feeling soon wore off when he heard his diagnosis. “And as I was coming out of the haze, the gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — it is cancer,” Van Der Beek remembered.
The Varsity Blues star pointed out that he was “very healthy” and in “amazing cardiovascular shape” when he discovered the cancer. Once he knew what he was facing, Van Der Beek changed his already healthy diet — something he thought more people should implement as a precautionary measure.
“I think the country is waking up to connecting with our food and recognizing just how much it’s processed and how far away it’s gotten from the way nature intended,” he explained. “I would encourage everyone to do the same because this is not a fun process.”
Van Der Beek warned at the time, “There are a lot of assumptions, I think, that we’ve all grown up with about what’s healthy and what’s not. And I think it would all do us some good to throw out those assumptions.”
When it came to his routine, Van Der Beek said he was avoiding processed food, gluten and dairy, and only eating organic vegetables from his garden. He told the outlet he was exercising regularly and prioritizing his mental health.
Van Der Beek also urged people in December 2025 to get screened for colon cancer right at 45, noting he didn’t get looked at until 46. (The age that doctors suggest adults get a colonoscopy and screenings went from 50 to 45 in 2018.)
“If anybody takes anything away from this interview, it would be, get tested, talk to your doctor,” Van Der Beek said during his last interview on the Today show.
According to Dr. Peter Stanich, a gastroenterologist with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute and Wexner Medical Center, there has been an uptick in this type of cancer in younger, otherwise healthy adults.
“We know colorectal cancer has been increasing in young people, and it is not exactly clear why,” Stanich, who was not involved in Van der Beek’s care, told Women’s World on Thursday, February 12.
The doctor explained, “Part of this is likely due to increasing obesity and changes in diets over time, but many people are still investigating the cause of this,” calling the increase in younger patients a “worrisome trend.”
Stanich noted that like Van Der Beek’s case, changes in bowel movements or abdominal pain should be discussed with a doctor.
“Many colorectal cancers do not cause symptoms, which is why it is so important to have the recommended screening test at the recommended age [45],” he added.
Van Der Beek, for his part, battled his cancer for more than two years before he died on Wednesday.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” his family wrote via an Instagram statement. “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.”
Fans and celebrities alike have since rallied around James’ wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, and their six children, starting a GoFundMe page to help with remaining medical expenses and other costs following his death.
James’ fans and costars have also honored his legacy with tributes to the late actor. James’ former Dancing With the Stars partner Emma Slater wrote via social media, “I’m so devastated. He is and will always be family to me. Love you so much James. The man that you are, you can be proud of. So grateful that I got to be there to say goodbye to you.”
His Dawson’s Creek costar Katie Holmes, wrote a handwritten letter to James that she shared via Instagram on Thursday.
“James, thank you. To share space with your imagination is sacred — breathing the same air in the land of make-believe and trusting that each other’s hearts are safe in their expression,” Holmes, 47, wrote in part. “These are some of the memories, along with laughter, conversations about life, James Taylor songs — adventures of a unique youth …”
She continued to describe James’ life as one of, “Bravery. Compassion. Selflessness. Strength. An appreciation for life and the action taken to live life with the integrity that life is art — creating a beautiful marriage, six loving children — the journey of a hero.”
