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Katie Couric was among those who were devastated to hear about the death of beloved actorJames Van Der Beek.
Van Der Beek died at the age of 48 on Wednesday, Feb. 11 following a battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer, the same illness to which Couric lost her first husband, Jay Monahan.
On Wednesday afternoon, Couric joined those on social media paying tribute to the late actor, known for his roles in Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues.
“This is heartbreaking,” Couric, 69, wrote via Instagram.
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Monahan, Couric’s first husband, died from the same type of cancer in January 1998. At the age of 41, Monahan was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer and died just nine months later, only two weeks after marking his 42nd birthday.
Following his death, Couric became a vocal advocate for colon cancer awareness, famously undergoing a colonoscopy procedure on-air on the Today show in 2000.
Just last month, Couric emphasized the importance of routine cancer screenings as she visited the hospital for her own colonoscopy, encouraging her followers over the age of 45 or with a first-line relative with a history of colorectal cancer to “please” get screened.
Van Der Beek underwent a colonoscopy in August 2023 that led to his diagnosis with stage 3 colorectal cancer, though he didn’t publicly share the news until November 2024.
His wife, Kimberly, confirmed the news of his death on Wednesday, sharing in an Instagram post that her husband “met his final days with courage, faith, and grace.”
Related: Former ‘Today’ Host Katie Couric ‘Cannot Stop Thinking’ About Savannah Guthrie Amid Mother’s Disappearance
Van Der Beek leaves behind his wife as well as their six children: Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7 and Jeremiah, 4.
Related: James Van Der Beek Previously Addressed Noticeable Change in His Appearance Before Death
