00:00When James Van Der Beek moved his family to a ranch in Texas back in 2020,
00:03fans thought it was just another celebrity looking for a quieter life. But after his
00:07passing today at age 48, we're realizing that that move wasn't just a career change,
00:11it was a desperate race against time and a quiet battle for survival.
00:14Hi, I'm Dawson.
00:15You're Dawson, Dawson. Yeah, I know. We met before. I'm Jen.
00:19Oh, the granddaughter from New York. Okay.
00:21Right.
00:21Wow, you look different.
00:24James and his wife Kimberly reportedly meditated under an oak tree before leaving LA.
00:28We now know that healing was more literal than we ever imagined.
00:32Today's my birthday and it has been the hardest year of my life.
00:37In 2021, Van Der Beek told Austin Life magazine that his decision to move was based on a gut
00:42feeling, explaining the energy was the same energy that I'd felt shooting varsity blues here when I
00:48was 21. After the move, James and his wife focused on raising their six children, not knowing it would
00:52be the place he would privately face stage three colorectal cancer. While he reportedly began his
00:57battle in 2023, James chose the December 2024 Fox special, The Real Full Monty, to finally share
01:04his journey with the world.
01:05When I was running around here at 15 years old, auditioning, all I wanted to do was to sing on
01:10Broadway. That's why I got into the industry. I mean, I was singing today and I was not in pain
01:16for the first time in like four days.
01:18Even then, he remained remarkably positive, stating,
01:21there's reason for optimism and I'm feeling good. It's a signal that James traded the red
01:26carpets of Hollywood for wide open spaces because he wanted his kids to, quote, grow up in the trees
01:31while he still had the strength to watch them. But there's another side to the story most people
01:35missed. Despite his Dawson's Creek fame, reports state the cost of cancer treatment took a devastating
01:40financial toll. James was recently spotted selling off his most iconic memorabilia, the actual
01:45keepsakes from Cape Side, just to pay for his medical bills. James explained to people,
01:49I've been storing these treasures for years, waiting for the right time to do something with
01:53them. With all the recent unexpected twists and turns life has presented, it's clear that time is
01:57now. Things reportedly got so dire that fellow actor Paul Walter Hauser reportedly had to step in
02:02with a significant financial gift to help James keep up the fight.
02:06Maybe you've seen me as Stingray on Cobra Kai. Maybe you've seen me as Mole Man in Fantastic Four.
02:12Or maybe you've just seen me crying while eating fish tacos alone, scanning my phone,
02:19in a mall eatery. Hauser took to Instagram to announce he was also offering personalized cameo
02:25videos, with the proceeds going directly to Vanderbeek as he continued treatment. And looking
02:29back, James once called cancer a, quote, full-time job. But we now see he made sure his real work
02:34was
02:34being a father. His last Instagram post, dedicated to his daughter Annabelle's 12th birthday, spoke about
02:39alchemizing the vibe of a room. Reports now indicate James spent his final funds and his final breath,
02:44ensuring his wife and kids had a home in Texas where nature could, as he put it, hug and heal
02:49them
02:49after he was gone. Now his wife Kimberly has started a GoFundMe to assist with essential living
02:54expenses, bills, and the children's education. It's a heartbreaking end for a man who gave so much
02:59to his fans, but clearly gave everything to his family.
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