Dawson’s Creek mom Mary-Margaret Humes paid homage to her TV son James Van Der Beek on the eve of Father’s Day, five months after his tragic passing at age 48.
Humes, 72, remembered the father-of-six – whose reaction to his ex-wife Heather McCombs’ remarriage was recently revealed – as an ‘amazing’ dad in a touching message shared to her Instagram on Saturday.
‘Wishing all of the amazing dads throughout this vast universe a Happy Father’s Day weekend,’ the actress wrote alongside a Dawson’s Creek photo with Van Der Beek and John Wesley Shipp, 71.
‘My advice? Give big meaningful hugs and tell them you love them … a shout-out to simpler times with @vanderjames @johnwesleyshippjr,’ she concluded.
Fans responded in kind, with one writing: ‘James said it right, when he said he had the best tv mom. On and off screen your relationship was remarkable.’
‘Goosebumps long live Dawson’s Creek Dawson aka James will always be there,’ another wrote.
Dawson’s Creek mom Mary-Margaret Humes, seen in a photo from the show, paid homage to her TV son James Van Der Beek on the eve of Father’s Day, five months after his tragic passing at age 48
Humes, 72, remembered the father-of-six as an ‘amazing’ dad in a touching message shared to her Instagram on Saturday
‘Love you very much, MM! Thank you,’ Dawson’s Creek dad Shipp also responded in the comments section.
Humes and Shipp played Dawson’s parents, Mitch and Gail, on the teen drama that ran for six seasons between 1998 and 2003. It also starred Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams and was considered a cultural phenomenon.
Mitch and Gail weren’t very strict with Dawson in the typical sense, but rather treated him as a peer. They were a lot more permissive than the other parents in the fictional Massachusetts town of Capeside.
Van Der Beek died in February this year following a battle with stage three colorectal cancer, leaving behind his wife of 15 years, Kimberley, and their six children, Olivia, 15, Joshua, 14, Annabel Leah, 12, Emilia, 10, Gwendolyn, eight, and Jeremiah, four.
Humes mourned his loss like so many others who knew him.
‘Rarely am I at a loss for words … today would be the exception. James, my gracious warrior, you fought a hard battle against all odds with such quiet strength and dignity,’ she wrote at the time.
‘I will always love and admire you for that. Our last conversations, merely a few days ago, are forever sitting softly in my heart for safe keeping.’
She added with a show of protectiveness toward his family and their mutual friends: ‘To our extended Dawson’s Creek family of friends … please be respectful of our silences at the moment as Beautiful Kimberly and family have asked for peaceful privacy for now.’
Van Der Beek is pictured with his daughter Annabel on her 12th birthday on January 25, just two weeks before he lost his battle against stage three colorectal cancer
The actor shared six children with wife Kimberley, whom he wed in August 2010
Van Der Beek frequently spoke of the bond he shared with wife Kimberley; the couple were pictured in 2019
Dawson’s Creek made big stars out of Van Der Beek and co-stars Katie Holmes, left, and Joshua Jackson, right, along with Michelle Williams (not pictured)
Meanwhile, Busy Philipps, who played Audrey on the long-running series, can’t even bear to watch re-runs because the pain of Van Der Beek’s loss is still so sore.
‘I was thinking about doing a rewatch for myself, you know, like, watching it for the first time, Dawson’s Creek, but I just haven’t yet,’ Philipps told Us Weekly. ‘And also, you know, it’s hard.’
She told the outlet that Van Der Beek’s death – as well as the passing of several of her friends in recent years – has had a dramatic effect on her.
‘I’ve lost several very close friends, far too young, in the last few years. James, obviously being one of them, a very public one,’ she said, adding: ‘I think that the perspective shift once you lose one friend is huge. And it really sort of instills in you that every day is all you have.’
