Reese Witherspoon shared a heartfelt tribute to James Van Der Beek after his death. "Devastated to hear about James Van Der Beek," Witherspoon, 49, posted via her Instagram Stories along with an image of the late actor on Wednesday, February 11. "What an extraordinary, talented man who also showed great kindness and grace in every action. Praying all the angels watch over his family during this difficult time." Prior to his death on Wednesday, Van Der Beek had filmed his final role in the upcoming series Elle, a prequel to Witherspoon's 2001 comedy Legally Blonde. The series, for which Witherspoon serves as an executive producer, is set to release on July 1. James' wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, announced his death in a statement shared via Instagram on Wednesday following his cancer battle. "Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," the statement read. "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." Busy Philipps Shares Touching Tribute After James Van Der Beek's Death at 48 James is survived by Kimberly, 44, and their six children: Olivia, 14, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 8, Gwendolyn, 6, and Jeremiah, 3. The Dawson's Creek actor publicly revealed his stage III colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024. Several months later, James shared a touching video reflecting on the "hardest year" of his life as he marked his 48th birthday in March 2025. Witherspoon reposted the video via her Instagram Stories on Wednesday. "Today's my birthday, and it has been the hardest year of my life, and I wanted to share something that I learned with y'all," James began the clip. "When I was younger, I used to define myself as an actor, which was never really all that fulfilling, and then I became a husband, and that was much better, and then I became a father, and that was the ultimate. I could define myself then as a loving, capable, strong, supportive husband, father, provider, steward of the land that we're so lucky to live on, and for a long time that felt like a really good definition of the question: Who am I? What am I?" Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for WarnerMedia and AT&T He continued, "And then this year I had to look my own mortality in the eye. I had to come nose to nose with death. And all those definitions that I cared so deeply about were stripped from me. I was away for treatment, so I could no longer be a husband that was helpful to my wife. I could no longer be a father who could pick up his kids and put them to bed and be there for them. I could not be a provider because I wasn't working. I couldn't even be a steward of the land because at times I was too weak to prune all the trees during the window that you're supposed to prune them." James explained he meditated, and he was able to find the answer to all of his burning questions. "I am worthy of God's love simply because I exist," he shared. "And if I'm worthy of God's love, shouldn't I also be worthy of my own? And the same is true for you. As I move through this healing portal toward recovery. I wanted to share that with you because that revelation that came to me was in no small part to all the prayers and the love that had been directed toward me. So I offer that to you. However it sits in your consciousness." A GoFundMe was created in the wake of James' death to help support his family during this difficult time. As of publication, the fundraiser has reached over $1.4 million.