There has been an incredible outpouring of community spirit within the entertainment industry as they rally around the death of James Van Der Beek. The popular actor best known for his starring role in the popular series Dawson’s Creek died on Wednesday at the age of 48 after a long and courageous struggle with cancer.
Lately, soon after the news emerged, James’ friends established a GoFundMe page to offer a safety net for the actor’s wife, Kimberly and their six kids. The fund garnered over its initial amount of $500,000 within a matter of a few hours, and subsequently, the target amount was increased to a million dollars.
However, despite what one may think of Hollywood and how much money they make, there is definitely financial hardship for his final years. Kimberly, on one of her social media platforms, shared a link for the fundraiser, stating, "I wanted to share my friends’ fundraising page for me and my kids and this heartbreaking transition. The astronomical cost of his medical care, and his long battle with this nasty disease, has left us out of funds."
The strain was so severe that James had started putting up his personal treasures and memorabilia collected during his acting career last December as ways of raising funds to clear his medical expenses. These included the characteristic suit worn in the pilot episode of his hit teen drama series and the necklace given to his character Joey Potter.
The money collected by the friends will go towards living expenses, paying outstanding bills, and supporting the education of the children, who are Olivia, 15; Joshua, 13; Annabel, 12; Emilia, 9; Gwendolyn, 7; and Jeremiah, 4 years old. The organisers highlighted that the main aim is to help the family stay in their house in Texas and enjoy some sense of stability at a very difficult time. Although he had been battling the illness since August 2023, he only decided to be open about his condition at the end of 2024. He spent his last days campaigning for cancer screenings while at the same time facing his illness with "courage, faith, and grace," according to Kimberly.
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