WWE Star Stacy Keibler Says She Spent James Van Der Beek’s Final Days With Him

WWE Hall of Famer Stacy Keibler is mourning the loss of James Van Der Beek—and revealing that she was by his side at the very end.

Van Der Beek, best known for playing Dawson Leery on Dawson's Creek, died on February 11 at 48 after battling Stage 3 colon cancer. He first shared his diagnosis publicly in November 2024.

In a statement posted to Instagram, his family said he “passed peacefully,” adding that he met his final days “with courage, faith, and grace,” and asking for privacy as they grieve their husband and father of six.

Hours after the news broke, Sporting News reported that Keibler posted an emotional tribute that offered a glimpse into their final moments together.

“Spending these final days with you has been a true gift from God,” she wrote. “I have never been so present in my life.” She described slowing down time in a way that felt sacred. “When you know time is sacred, you don’t waste a single breath. You don’t rush. You don’t scroll. You don’t worry about tomorrow. You sit. You listen. You hold hands.”

Keibler said the two watched a sunset together shortly before his passing. “The other night we watched the sunset together as you shared your wisdom, your hopes, and the promises we made to each other,” she shared, adding that a shooting star crossed the sky as the sun disappeared. “As if to remind us that none of this is random.”

She also reflected on witnessing Van Der Beek as a husband and father. “The way you showed up for @vanderkimberly and your children… steady, strong, devoted… was a blessing to witness,” she wrote. “It has been an honor to stand beside your family in these sacred moments.”

Van Der Beek’s career began long before his teen heartthrob era. After discovering acting as a teenager in Connecticut, he moved to New York to pursue the craft. At 21, he became a household name on Dawson’s Creek, a six-season WB hit that helped define late ’90s teen television and launch the careers of Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams.

He later appeared in films like Varsity Blues and series including Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, often playfully nodding to his own fame.

Keibler, inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2023, built her own crossover career after wrestling from 2001 to 2006, appearing on television and placing third on Dancing with the Stars.

“You are a gift,” Keibler wrote in closing. “We may have lost a good one here on earth… but heaven gained something extraordinary.”