James Van Der Beek’s wife celebrates daughter’s 10th birthday with tribute
Kimberly Van Der Beek has marked her daughter Emilia’s 10th birthday with a tender tribute to both the little girl and her late husband James, sharing a throwback photo of the pair together on Instagram Stories.
“Missing you my love,” Kimberly wrote alongside the snap, which she described as taken “just a few heavenly months ago.”
In the photo, the Dawson’s Creek actor is seen leaning into a hug from Emilia outdoors, wrapped in a fur-lined jacket, while his daughter rests her arms on his shoulders and her head on top of his in an oversized sweatshirt.
James died on 11 February at the age of 48, following an almost three-year battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
He and Kimberly, who married in 2010, had six children together, Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4.
He had been diagnosed in the summer of 2023 but waited until November 2024 to share the news publicly. “He met his final days with courage, faith and grace,” Kimberly said in her announcement of his passing.
Emilia has shown a remarkable maturity in the weeks since her father’s death.
On what would have been James’ 49th birthday earlier this month, she posted a video on Instagram offering words of comfort to others dealing with grief, while wearing her dad’s hat.
