James Van Der Beek’s daughter has opened up about struggling with grief on his birthday after the actor passed away last month.
Nine-year-old Emilia shared a tribute to her father on March 8, the day he would have turned 49.
Van Der Beek died following a battle with colorectal cancer.
The Dawson’s Creek star, also known for appearing in projects including Varsity Blues and The Rules of Attraction, passed away on Tuesday February 11 at the age of 48. He had publicly revealed his cancer diagnosis in 2024.
After his death, his family—who have since had a GoFundMe page set up—confirmed the news and remembered him as ‘a loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend’.
He is survived by his wife Kimberly and their six children.
Emilia, his middle child, appeared in a video posted via her mother’s Instagram account to mark the date and to share how the family has been coping since his passing.
In the caption, her mom wrote: “Emilia asked me if she could make a video to post today, walked outside and came back with this.
“In my stories are a whole lot of photos and some videos. All I want to do is watch videos of him right now with the kids. Thank you for the tremendous heart, love and support for the family.
“James… We will celebrate March 8th every day for the rest of our lives.”
In the video, Emilia said: “I know that my dad’s in a good place. He’s not in pain anymore.”
“As you will probably know, my dad has passed away,” she said, adding that she wanted to offer guidance to anyone trying to get ‘through anybody you love passing.’
“So today is my dad’s birthday, and the number one thing for somebody’s passing is to talk to them and let your emotions out,” she continued. “If you miss them, you can cry. You can talk to them. I talk to my dad every day.”
The nine-year-old explained: “I start with a sentence, and I say, ‘Hi, Dad. I miss you and I love you so much, and I’ll never stop loving you.’
“I just tell him about my day, how I’m feeling, and I told my family how I’m feeling. And I know he can hear me, but I can’t hear him.”
She added that those who have died remain ‘in your heart’ and are ‘watching over you’, believing they’re ‘in a good place’.
Speaking about her dad, she said ‘he’s in heaven above the clouds with God and the Lord.’
Later in the clip, she also shared that she had ‘stole’ one of his hats, saying it ‘smells like him’.
“I know that he was a good man. A lot of people loved him, and people prayed for him, and he was loved by … many, many people,” she said.
She ended by thanking those who have contributed to the family’s fundraiser, which currently stands at $2,757,409.