Busy Philipps shared loving words for James Van Der Beek after his death at age 48. Philipps, 46, shared a sweet tribute for Van Der Beek, who died after a battle with colorectal cancer on Wednesday, February 11. "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 captioned a post via Instagram. "But I am profoundly heartbroken for his incredible wife Kimberly and their six magical children. There is a go fund me for them to help out and i'll put the link in my stories. 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.❤️." Philipps' message comes after the actor's official Instagram account announced the news of his death. Busy Philipps Is 'Really Trying Figure Out' Reunion With 'Dawson's' Cast "Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," the statement read alongside a headshot of the late actor. "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." Van Der Beek was pronounced dead at 6:44 a.m. on Wednesday, the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed to Us Weekly. A medical professional made the call to the examiner's office. Philipps and Van Der Beek met while filming Dawson's Creek in 2001, when she joined the cast for seasons 5 and 6. Since then, they've kept a close friendship. In September 2025, Philipps got emotional while opening up about the Dawson's Creek reunion in New York City, which Michelle Williams organized to benefit the late star's fight against cancer. "I was so glad that Kimberly [Van Der Beek] and all the kids [were there]," she said, referring to his wife and their six children, Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Elilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4. She teared up while saying it was "heartbreaking" that the actor was unable to attend the event. "It was just really beautiful," she said. "James [was] getting lots of videos and Facetimes and texts and things. We just love him so much." James opened up about feeling gutted for missing the reunion because of "two stomach viruses." "You can imagine how gutted I was when two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission and keep me grounded at the worst possible moment," he wrote via Instagram ahead of the event. "Despite every effort ... I won't get to be there. I won't get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most." James announced his stage 3 diagnosis in November 2024 during an interview with People. "I've been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family," he said. "There's reason for optimism, and I'm feeling good." 'Dawson's Creek' Star James Van Der Beek Dead at 48 After Cancer Battle He also told the publication that he had "a lot to live for." "I thought, 'This is either going to take me out of the body, or it's going to teach me how to truly live in it,'" James said. As of March 2025, James was optimistic about his diagnosis, telling Extra that he could "see the finish line." He added that he was in "a healing phase."