James Van Der Beek's widow posts emotional tribute: 'Words just don't capture what grief is'

James Van Der Beek's widow posts emotional tribute: 'Words just don't capture what grief is'2 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePaul GlynnCulture reporter

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James Van Der Beek's widow has posted an emotional tribute to her late husband, three months after the actor's death.

The Dawson's Creek star died of bowel cancer at the age of 48 in February, and Kimberly Van Der Beek wrote on Instagram on Tuesday that the "reality is settling in".

She described the "outpouring of support" she has received as "tremendous".

"Yesterday was three months since we lost @vanderjames," she said, while also sharing a carousel of family photographs. "To say I'm heartbroken is a severe understatement. Words just don't capture what grief is. The comforts of shock have worn off. The reality is settling in... and I miss him."

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She continued: "We all miss him. Yet, there is a different kind of magic in the air. I feel him. I know him more deeply.

"My conscious connection to God has deepened. The veils of the universe have thinned. And I trust that this is the path me and my family have always been intended to walk."

James Van Der Beek - who rose to fame playing aspiring film-maker Dawson Leery in Dawson's Creek from 1998 until 2003 - had six children with Kimberly.

In the months before his death, he shared how cash-strapped the cancer treatments had left him and his family.

The cost of his medical treatments were so financially draining that his wife had to ask for donations so they would not lose their home.

The late star said he had been paid "almost nothing" for Dawson's Creek as a young actor, and that his contract had not included residual payments for repeats.

He publicly auctioned items he'd saved for decades from the roles that defined his career: a tartan buttoned shirt he wore in the first episode of Dawson's Creek, a necklace he gave to Katie Holmes' character on the teen drama series, and sports shoes he wore in 1999 film Varsity Blues.

'Deeply grateful'

"The outpouring of support has been tremendous," Kimberly reflected on Tuesday.

"It's held our family in the most beautiful of ways. You all went absolutely above and beyond anything I could have ever expected in supporting us and honouring James.

"I am deeply grateful. There is so much more to share here. And in time - I will."

In February, following the news of his death, Van Der Beek's Dawson's Creek co-stars led the tributes.

In a hand-written statement posted on Instagram, Holmes - who played Dawson's best friend Joey Potter on the show - remembered Van Der Beek for his "bravery, compassion, selflessness and strength", as well as his "appreciation for life".

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