What To Know
- Kimberly Van Der Beek shared a heartfelt message to Rebecca Gayheart after the recent deaths of their husbands, James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane.
- James Van Der Beek died at 48 from colorectal cancer on February 11, while Eric Dane died at 53 from ALS on February 19.
- Kimberly posted a throwback photo and expressed her condolences on Instagram, reminiscing about shared memories and offering support to Gayheart and her daughters.
Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek‘s wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, sent a message to Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria star Eric Dane‘s wife, Rebecca Gayheart, in the wake of the two actors’ deaths.
On February 11, Van Der Beek died at 48 following a battle with colorectal cancer. Meanwhile, Dane died at 53 on February 19 after a battle with ALS.
Kimberly took to her Instagram Stories on Saturday, February 21, with a photo of herself and James with Dane and Gayheart and the latter’s two daughters, Billie, now 15, and Georgia, now 14. The throwback snap was taken on the red carpet of the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball held in June 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
“Will miss our guys laughing at Christmas parties together,” she wrote.
Kimberly, 43, who married James in 2010 and welcomed six kids — Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4 — added, ““RIP @realericdane. We love you @rebeccagayheartdane.”
On February 11, Kimberly announced via Instagram James’ death after he had “passed peacefully” that morning.
“He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” the widow shared. “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.”
James was best known for playing Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creek, which aired for six seasons from 1998 to 2003.
On February 19, Gayheart, 54, broke her silence via her Instagram Stories with a series of photos of Dane, whom she married in 2004, and their daughters in the wake of his death. Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018; however, she withdrew the filing in March 2025, shortly before Dane announced his ALS diagnosis that April.
Dane was best known for playing Cal Jacobs in Euphoria and Mark Sloan (aka “McSteamy”) in Grey’s Anatomy in Season 3 through Season 8, before his character was killed off in the Season 9 premiere.
Dawson’s Creek, streaming on Netflix, Tubi, Hulu, and Disney+; Euphoria, streaming on HBO Max; Grey’s Anatomy, streaming on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+
