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LAST WORDS James Van Der Beek left heartbreaking final video message to fans about plans to ‘recover and rest’ before shock death

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JAMES Van Der Beek shared a hopeful and now-heartbreaking final message to fans.

Less than a month before his shocking death on Wednesday at 48, the iconic Dawson’s Creek star shared that he planned to “recover and rest” before springtime.

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A man with light brown hair and blue eyes looks up and to the right, mouth slightly open.
The actor shared a hopeful video with fans in JanuaryCredit: Instagram/vanderjames
 

James Van Der Beek looks directly at the camera, pointing to his chin.
He said he wanted to rest and recover before the springCredit: Instagram/vanderjames
 

James Van Der Beek poses in a black patterned polo shirt and brown pants in front of a blue Fox Studio backdrop.
The actor announced his diagnosis in 2024Credit: Getty
Van Der Beek’s family announced his passing on social media just over a year after he first revealed his diagnosis with stage 3 colorectal cancer.

“Anyone else out there finding that your New Year’s resolution was impossible to keep? I’m going to say something: I don’t think it’s your fault,” the actor said in an Instagram video January 15.

“Why are we celebrating a new year in the dead of winter? Why are we celebrating new beginnings at a time when nature rests?

“I’m going to take winter to recover, to rest, and I’m going to make New Year’s resolutions in the spring. Who’s with me?” Van Der Beek said in the gutwrenching final video.

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The actor went on to explain his reasoning.

“Animals are hibernating! Birds fly south for the winter!” he said.

“The time to celebrate a new beginning, and a new you, and a new resolution, is in the spring, at the vernal equinox, when the flowers bloom and it gets warmer and the birds return.

“That’s how nature does it. Why are we fighting nature?”

CANADA IN SH0CK: 10 DEAD IN SCHOOL MASSACRE — AND THE DETAILS KEEP GETTING DARKER 🚨 A quiet town of just 2,400 people. A school with barely 160 students. By the end of Tuesday afternoon, ten lives were gone — and nearly 30 more shattered by gunfire. Police say the 18-year-old suspect began at home, killing two family members just blocks away… before walking into Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and opening fire on children as young as 11. When officers entered the building, multiple victims were already dead. The suspect was later found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
CANADA IN SH0CK: 10 DEAD IN SCHOOL MASSACRE — AND THE DETAILS KEEP GETTING DARKER 🚨 A quiet town of just 2,400 people. A school with barely 160 students. By the end of Tuesday afternoon, ten lives were gone — and nearly 30 more shattered by gunfire. Police say the 18-year-old suspect began at home, killing two family members just blocks away… before walking into Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and opening fire on children as young as 11. When officers entered the building, multiple victims were already dead. The suspect was later found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Canada School Killer, 18-Year-Old Trans Woman, First Shot Mother, Step-Brother At Home Canada Shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar: Police…

For four punishing hours, a 13-year-old boy battled icy waters to keep his family alive. News outlets praised his courage. Strangers flooded social media calling him “braver than most grown men.” For a moment, he was Ireland’s pride. But when the cameras packed up and the headlines faded, so did the promises. Now his grandmother is breaking her silence — and what she reveals shatters the feel-good story everyone wanted to believe. The medals, the applause, the viral posts… none of them changed what was waiting for him at home.
For four punishing hours, a 13-year-old boy battled icy waters to keep his family alive. News outlets praised his courage. Strangers flooded social media calling him “braver than most grown men.” For a moment, he was Ireland’s pride. But when the cameras packed up and the headlines faded, so did the promises. Now his grandmother is breaking her silence — and what she reveals shatters the feel-good story everyone wanted to believe. The medals, the applause, the viral posts… none of them changed what was waiting for him at home.

‘THEY CALL HIM A HERO — BUT HE WENT BACK TO BEING A KID WITH NOTHING’: Irish Gran’s…

21-year-old beauty queen Eleisha “Precious” Skinner died in a devastating freak accident when her own car rolled and crushed her on an icy surface. What should have been an ordinary moment turned into a nightmare in an instant. Now her mother is left replaying that final goodbye over and over — wondering if those last words, that brief exchange, somehow distracted her daughter from the danger no one saw coming. A split second. A patch of ice. A tragedy no family could ever prepare for. How did such a routine moment end so catastrophically?
21-year-old beauty queen Eleisha “Precious” Skinner died in a devastating freak accident when her own car rolled and crushed her on an icy surface. What should have been an ordinary moment turned into a nightmare in an instant. Now her mother is left replaying that final goodbye over and over — wondering if those last words, that brief exchange, somehow distracted her daughter from the danger no one saw coming. A split second. A patch of ice. A tragedy no family could ever prepare for. How did such a routine moment end so catastrophically?

Mom’s Heart-Shattering Regret: Beauty Queen, 21, Dies Crushed by Her Own Car – Just Seconds After Hanging Up…