Katie Holmes says goodbye to James Van Der Beek.Image: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Invision
Feb 12, 2026, 2:27 p.mFeb 12, 2026, 4:08 p.m
US actress Katie Holmes said goodbye to her former “Dawson’s Creek” colleague James Van Der Beek with a handwritten letter.
“Thanks. Sharing space with your imagination is sacred,” the 47-year-old wrote in the letter, which she shared on Instagram. She formulated her words with a heavy heart; there was a lot to process, she explained. «I am so grateful to have shared part of James’ journey. He is loved.”
Holmes and Van Der Beek starred in the cult series “Dawson’s Creek” in the late 1990s, which told the lives of teenagers in the fictional US town of Capeside. Van Der Beek played the film-loving student Dawson Leery, Holmes his best friend and later on-off partner Joey Potter. The cast also included Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson. The series ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2003.
James Van Der Beek (back left) and Katie Holmes (front) with the cast of “Dawson’s Creek”.Image: Getty Images North America
Van Der Beek died of colon cancer at the age of 48. He leaves behind six children. In her letter, Holmes recalled childhood years together, conversations about the life and music of James Taylor (“You’ve Got A Friend”). “Courage. Compassion. Selflessness. Strength,” are words Holmes uses to describe her former colleague. He understood life as an art form – “the journey of a hero”. (sda/dpa)