Dawson’s Creek stars salute James Van Der Beek with heartfelt tributes
James Van Der Beek, the actor who became a late-1990s television touchstone as earnest dreamer Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creek, has died at 48 after a battle with bowel cancer, his family said Wednesday. “He met his final days with courage, faith and grace,” his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, said in a statement. The series, which ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2003, launched him to stardom and helped define a TV era.
Heartfelt tributes poured in from co-stars and friends. Katie Holmes, who starred opposite Van Der Beek,…