Actor James Van Der Beek, Cheshire Native, Dies At 48

CHESHIRE, CT — Actor James Van Der Beek, a Cheshire native and graduate of Cheshire Academy, died Wednesday at the age of 48.

Van Der Beek's wife announced the actor's death on Instagram. He had been battling colorectal cancer.

"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. 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," Kimberly Van Der Beek wrote on Instagram.

Van Der Beek was a member of Cheshire Academy’s Class of 1995. He was recently selected for induction into Cheshire Academy's D. Robert Gardiner Arts & Letters Alumni Hall of Fame — an honor officials said he will now receive posthumously during Reunion Weekend on June 12-14.

Van Der Beek was also a recipient of the school’s Cheshire Town Scholar award.

“James embodied everything the Cheshire Town Scholar award represents: scholarship, citizenship, ambition, and leadership. Selected in 1991 as the recipient of this prestigious honor—which has provided one incoming ninth grader from Cheshire with a full four-year scholarship annually since 1937—James proved worthy of that distinction many times over during his years at the Academy and throughout his remarkable career,” reads a post on the Cheshire Academy website.

Van Der Beek returned to the Cheshire Academy campus repeatedly throughout his career, according to the post.

“In 2017, he visited with students in the classroom, workshopped with the theater program, and spoke to the entire student body at Gideon Welles Dining Commons,” the post reads.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Van Der Beek delivered a virtual address to the Class of 2020, “offering wisdom, warmth, and encouragement to graduates navigating an uncertain world,” according to the post.

“The Cheshire Academy community extends its deepest condolences to the Van Der Beek family,” officials wrote. “We are forever grateful for the ways James represented our school, returned to support our students, and reminded us all that passion, perseverance, and gratitude can carry us further than we ever imagined.

“From the stage at Cheshire Academy where he starred in Grease, to the sets of Hollywood’s most beloved productions, James Van Der Beek carried with him the spirit of Cheshire Academy: the belief that with support, dedication, and courage, young people can achieve extraordinary things.

“Rest in peace, James. You will be deeply missed.”

Read more about Van Der Beek’s legacy at Cheshire Academy here.