James Van Der Beek, the actor who became a household name as the star of “Dawson’s Creek,” has passed away at 48, prompting an outpouring of grief. His role in the drama series made him a household name and defined an era of television. Now, former NFL quarterback Brett Favre is publicly mourning the loss of his close friend.

“Me and Deanna were good friends with him and I enjoyed our conversations, laughs, and being able to spend time with him and his family over the years,” Favre wrote on X with a photo of the two together at Lambeau Field. “It was great to see his faith and our condolences go out to his family, friends, and fans.”

Fans remembered Van Der Beek for playing Dawson Leery from 1998 to 2003. However, his life took a difficult turn when he revealed in November 2024 that he had been battling cancer since August 2023. Later, his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, confirmed his passing in a joint social media post.

“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” the caption read. “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.”

Not only did Favre speak out, but Robert Griffin III also paid tribute.

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“He was more than Dawson’s Creek or Varsity Blues,” he wrote on X. “He was a father to 6 kids, husband, son, and Man of God.”

Then, fans also flooded social media with prayers and memories.

Fans join Brett Favre in honoring the late Dawson’s Creek star

As the heartbreaking news spread, fans quickly joined Brett Favre in honoring the late Dawson’s Creek star.

“This is so terribly sad,” one fan wrote, while another added, “He was such a good man. 😢”

Those reactions reflected how deeply James Van Der Beek touched people. After all, he found his passion early, catching the acting bug in middle school and asking his parents to take him to New York for auditions. Soon, he landed a role in the off-Broadway play ‘Finding the Sun’ and later earned an academic scholarship to Drew University.

From there, his career slowly gained momentum. While roles in films like ‘Angus’ and ‘I Love You, I Love You Not’ gave him a start, he decided to leave college and audition for ‘Dawson’s Creek’, which truly launched him into stardom.

As tributes poured in, one fan wrote, “Awful! So sad. Too young 😢” and another added, “James VDB, rip my dude!!”

Meanwhile, many in Packers Nation remembered a different side of him. Van Der Beek became a Green Bay Packers fan because of Favre, and he even wore No. 4 in “Varsity Blues” to honor the Lambeau Field legend.

One fan recalled, “I remember he said he wore #4 in Varsity Blues in honor of you being his favorite player. That movie and some of his other works meant a lot to me when I was young. Incredible actor, seemed like an incredible person,” while another added, “Always wondered if he wore 4 in the movie because of you (Favre).”

Although he grew up in Connecticut, he refused to support the New England Patriots. In a 2017 interview with Rich Eisen, he admitted he “resented the fact that New England tried to lump us into a Boston team, so I immediately hated them.”

Instead, he chose the Packers because, as he said, “Favre was my guy.”

“As a little kid thinking, They won the first two Super Bowls; oh, that’s cool.’ And then finding out the team is owned by the town and just watching games there, it’s the greatest fan base in all of sports.”

Over the years, he visited Lambeau Field multiple times. Clearly, Favre had him hooked.

“They had this crazy doof from Mississippi, taking his helmet off playing like a linebacker; OK, this is my team,” Van Der Beek added.

So when he played a quarterback on “Varsity Blues,” he insisted on wearing No. 4. Now, with his passing, Favre and millions of fans feel that loss deeply.