In mid-2023, James Van Der Beek, who had been a teen idol thanks to Dawson's Creek, was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer. However, the actor did not make it public until November of the following year. His fight against this aggressive cancer was intense, but he never lost hope.
Unfortunately, on February 11, he passed away at his home at the age of 48 surrounded by his second wife, actress and producer Kimberly Brook (44), and their six children, Olivia (15), Joshua (13), Annabel (12), Emilia (9), Gwendolyn (7), and Jeremiah (4).
According to international media such as TMZ and Daily Mail, the Van Der Beek couple were facing serious financial problems that began in 2021 when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States demanded a debt of $95,438.31 for 2017 and another $173,890.31 in 2019, totaling $269,328.62. They managed to pay it all off in April 2022.
However, the difficulties continued due to the cost of the 14.5-hectare ranch in Spicewood, Texas, where they had been residing since 2020 after selling their Beverly Hills residence. They initially rented the property and, on January 9, aware of the inevitable outcome, they decided to purchase it for nearly $4.8 million. Lacking sufficient funds, they turned to their closest friends for financial assistance.
The actor's representative told People magazine, "James secured the initial payment for the Texas ranch for the family with the help of friends through a trust, so they could transition from renting to a mortgage."
Aware of the delicate financial situation in which the widow finds herself, a group of close friends decided to create a fundraising campaign on the GoFundMe website where they wrote that "the costs of James' medical care and the prolonged battle against cancer have left the family without funds. They are working hard to stay in their home and to ensure that the children can continue their education and maintain some stability during this very difficult time."
At the time of our publication, the amount raised had reached nearly $2.7 million. The largest donation came from an anonymous donor who contributed $50,000, and among the well-known names are Steven Spielberg (79) and his wife Kate Capshaw (72) with $25,000, John M. Chu -director of Wicked- donated $10,000, and Zoe Saldana (47) with another $2,500.