James Van Der Beek, the soft-eyed actor whose boyish good looks and earnestness landed him the leading role in ’90s teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” and catapulted him to stardom, has died. He was 48.

The actor died Wednesday, according to a statement posted to his verified Instagram.

“He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” the statement said. “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.”

His representative Whitney Tancred also confirmed the news when reached by CNN.

Van Der Beek announced in November 2024 that he was living with stage 3 colorectal cancer.

Following his death, Van Der Beek’s wife Kimberly, with whom he shared six children, shared a link via social media to a GoFundMe campaign, asking for support because Van Der Beek’s illness left the family in “financial strain.”

“The costs of James’s medical care and the extended fight against cancer have left the family out of funds,” the campaign page states. “They are working hard to stay in their home and to ensure the children can continue their education and maintain some stability during this incredibly difficult time.”

Born in 1977 in Cheshire, Connecticut, Van Der Beek was the eldest of three children. He caught the acting bug in middle school, and when he was 15, he told his mother he wanted to audition professionally.

“She didn’t hold me back,” he once recounted. “She took me to NYC, and she walked me through it.”

Soon after, he was cast in an off-Broadway play, “Finding the Sun,” and later won an academic scholarship to Drew University in New Jersey.