Paul Walter Hauser, Who Raised $14K Before James Van Der Beek's Death, Pledges More Support
Hours after James Van Der Beek's death was announced Tuesday afternoon, February 11, fellow actor Paul Walter Hauser, who had been raising money for Van Der Beek's cancer treatment, posted a heartfelt tribute to "one of the good guys." Hauser shared an Instagram screenshot showing he'd raised more than $14,000 on Cameo for Van Der Beek's medical expenses, pledging to continue supporting the late actor's family. The message from Hauser resonated with fans and continued an outpouring of support for the longtime actor.
"Love you, James," Hauser wrote. "I know you’re in Heaven being pampered with love. The Van Der Beeks will be in our daily prayers and we’ll be drumming up some money to support your beautiful family. Thanks for the body of work and for being one of the good guys."
Van Der Beek, the beloved Dawson's Creek and Varsity Blues star, died at age 48 after battling stage 3 colorectal cancer, as TMZ first reported.
Paul Walter Hauser Had Been Raising Money After Van Der Beek Sold Memorabilia
Just three weeks before Van Der Beek's death, Paul Walter Hauser launched a fundraising campaign on Cameo after learning the Dawson's Creek star was selling treasured career memorabilia. This includes items from Varsity Blues and his iconic teen drama, to pay for cancer treatment.
"James Van Der Beek started selling his old stuff from his past acting jobs to pay for his colorectal cancer treatments, and it didn’t sit well with me," Hauser wrote on Instagram on January 23. "I am an actor and father of 3 children, and I want them inheriting my trinkets/wardrobe/memorabilia someday. I wouldn’t want to auction off a Stingray shirt or Marvel script to make ends meet for treatment."
Along with highlighting his goal to raise $20,000 by March 1 with custom Cameo videos, Hauser explained that he also planned to do an auction of personal items from various celebrity friends.
"Please repost this and spread the love by spreading the word," Hauser continued. "I am trying to raise 20k by March 1st, through recorded Cameo videos, and then I plan to do an auction of celebrity friends’ personal items and autographs (Josh Gad, Becky Lynch, Jimmy Kimmel, and many many more-) to continue our support of a fellow actor, father and husband who has rolled a painful pair of dice these last couple years."
James Van Der Beek's Wife Issues Statement After Actor's Death at 48 From Colorectal Cancer
In a heartbreaking message on Instagram posted by Van Der Beek's wife, Kimberly, she announced the popular actor had died on Tuesday morning at the age of 48 following a battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," Kimberly wrote. “He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."
Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly, met in 2009, per People. The couple had six children, including 15-year-old Olivia, 13-year-old Joshua, 12-year-old Annabel, Emilia (9), Gwendolyn (7) and Jeremiah (4), who was born in October 2021.
While Van Der Beek will be remembered by many movie and TV enthusiasts for his roles as Dawson Leery in Dawson's Creek or Mox from Varsity Blues, his acting career spanned from 1993 to 2025. Most recently, he appeared in the series Sidelined as Leroy Lahey and in Overcompensating as Charlie. Van Der Beek also starred in the 2002 film The Rules of Attraction as Sean Bateman.
Related: James Van Der Beek Said Wife Kimberly Van Der Beek Taught Him 'What It Is to Live'