James Van Der Beek's Special Final Moments With His Wife Revealed

James Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, reassured each other of their undying love!

The duo seemingly renewed their vows days before the actor passed away, and it was reportedly a very beautiful and emotional ceremony in the presence of their loved ones.

James Van Der Beek passed away on February 11, according to Kimberly, in an Instagram post nearly a year after sharing his colorectal cancer diagnosis with the world, after silently battling it since 2023.

Kimberly revealed that the decision to renew their vows was very spontaneous, and their friends played very active roles in making the whole ceremony impactful.  

According to her, they decided two days beforehand, and their friends got them new rings, filled their bedroom with flowers and candles while they renewed their vows on the bed.

Kimberly emphasized that the emotional ceremony was "simple, beautiful, and moving," with their family and close friends in attendance. 

One of their friends, instrumentalist Poranguí, also played a very beautiful number and closed the ceremony with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," according to Kimberly's interview with PEOPLE.

The couple's friends who could not make it physically to the ceremony reportedly gladly joined via Zoom. James and Kimberly's renewal happened over a decade after they got married in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Since his passing, everyone in James' close circle has spilled great words about him and his endearing character, which earned him loyalists even till his dying days. The Blast noted that one of them was his ex, Heather McComb, who was married to him for six years before parting ways amicably.

McComb shared her tribute to the actor by walking down memory lane and sharing a picture of them smiling in each other's arms. The actor's estranged wife admitted that the news of his death left her heartbroken and reminiscing about the close bond they shared.

She reiterated that she always saw the actor as a kind, genuine person who left her feeling immensely grateful for the "special connection, friendship, and love that James and I shared that has endured through decades."

McComb emphasized that she admired his courage for coming out publicly with his diagnosis, which inspired dozens of people since the news. She stressed that she would treasure his final words and always remember him as a beautiful soul who radiates light, humor, talent, and a deep love for God.

The actor's colleagues equally flocked to social media with their goodwill messages to the Van Der Beek family, who were left behind to deal with his loss.

Singer and actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler led the pack with her tributes, admitting that the whole world was lucky to have been a part of James' world because he was a genuinely great person.

Canadian actress Kathleen Robertson also sent her condolences to the actor's family as Kevin Parry joined in the outpouring of tributes, stressing that the world lost a great man.

The fundraiser organized to assist the actor's family with offsetting medical bills, settling the kids' school expenses, and other financial vacuums created by James' sickness costs also witnessed donations from several Hollywood figures.

Zoë Saldaña, Derek Hough, Steven Spielberg, Ricki Lake, and others heavily donated towards the fundraiser and urged more people to help the family left behind.

Some of the actor's pals were right by his bedside when he passed, and they all gave an emotional reaction to his passing. The Blast stated that Mehcad Brooks noted that one of the greatest honors of his life was being there for the actor as he drew his last breath.

Brooks advised everyone to learn a lesson from James' life, always to remain positive, and do everything that makes them happy. Another friend of the actor, Alfonso Ribeiro, also appeared distraught in his tribute video about the actor.

According to Ribeiro, the news of James' death left him broken, but he was very glad to fight the illness with the actor every step of the way. Ribeiro expressed his disappointment at the fact that things initially looked up for the actor health wise, but he unfortunately succumbed to the cancer and lost his life.

Despite the actor's untimely passing, Ribeiro assured the actor that his family will never feel his absence, as he would try his best to be there for the family. In his words:

"I will always be there for their children. I will always hold my role as Gwen's Goddie daddy as one of the most important roles of my life. I love you, James, and know I have a guardian angel watching over me."

Before his death, the actor auctioned some memorabilia from his highly acclaimed movies to gather funds for his cancer treatment last year. The star teamed up with the Propstore for its live auction to sell off an expensive necklace his character gifted Joey for prom and a flannel shirt he wore for several episodes in the show.

James' colleague and pal, Paul Walter Hauser, even led a campaign by partnering with Cameo to raise $20,000 by March 1 for his cancer treatment. However, following his death, fans began slamming Sony Pictures for failing to provide financial assistance to the star of their hit show "Dawson's Creek."

The TV show was very popular and still generates some revenues for the network over the years, which should have encouraged Sony Pictures to pick up his medical bills at least.

RIP James Van Der Beek!