It was confirmed yesterday (11 February) that the actor passed away “peacefully” after a two-and-a-half-year battle with colorectal cancer. He had been diagnosed in late 2023 after a screening revealed a tumour that later developed into stage three cancer.

A statement issued by his family and shared on Instagram read: “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.”

Opening Up About His Diagnosis

Throughout his illness, Van Der Beek chose to speak publicly about his experience in an effort to raise awareness about colorectal cancer and its warning signs.

In November 2024, he told PEOPLE Magazine that the first symptom he noticed was a change in his bowel habits. Initially, he dismissed it as a side effect of drinking too much coffee.

“I thought maybe I needed to stop coffee. Or maybe not put cream in the coffee. But when I cut that out and it didn’t improve, I thought, ‘All right, I better get this checked out,’” he said.

After undergoing a colonoscopy, he felt optimistic and was not expecting serious news. With no family history of the disease, being in what he described as “great shape,” and maintaining a healthy diet, a cancer diagnosis seemed unlikely.

“I felt really good coming out of anesthesia, that I’d finally done it,” he recalled. “Then the gastroenterologist said – in his most pleasant bedside manner – that it was cancer. I think I went into shock.”

He added: “I’d always associated cancer with age and with unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles. But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy – or as far as I knew it at the time.”

Rising Cases in Younger People

In the UK, around 44,100 people are diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer each year, while in the United States the figure is approximately 150,000 annually.

Although cancer is often thought of as a disease affecting older adults, recent research shows a troubling rise in colorectal cancer among younger people. It is now the leading cause of cancer-related death in the US for men and women under the age of 50.

Recognising the Symptoms

Health experts stress the importance of knowing the signs, as bowel cancer is often treatable and can be curable if detected early. According to Bowel Cancer UK, survival rates are extremely high when the disease is caught at its earliest stage.

Common symptoms include:

  • Changes in your poo, such as softer stools, diarrhoea or constipation that is unusual for you
  • Needing to poo more or less often than normal
  • Blood in your poo, which may appear red or black
  • Bleeding from your bottom
  • Frequently feeling the urge to poo, even after going
  • Tummy pain
  • A lump in your tummy
  • Bloating
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Feeling very tired or short of breath, which can be signs of anaemia caused by bowel cancer

Van Der Beek’s openness about his experience has prompted renewed calls for greater awareness and early screening, particularly among younger adults who may not consider themselves at risk.