James Van Der Beek‘s longtime friend Mehcad Brooks gave an inside look at how the late actor handled his death in his final days.
“One of the greatest honors of my life, I got to be there [the] last four to five days, every day, and hold his hand, and pray with him, and tell him jokes, and tell him how much I love him, and sing to him,” the “A Fall from Grace” star said in an Instagram video Wednesday.
“Literally just watch this man handle death like a king. He handled the transition like a king,” Brooks, 45, added.
The “Law & Order” alum said Van Der Beek’s death was a reminder to “live your life, do the things that make you happy.”
“Don’t worry about other people’s opinions — they’re not gonna f–king matter,” he said. “All that s–t you’re worried about right now is not gonna matter.
“We all know that. Sometimes we need to be reminded,” Brooks added.
“I love you so much, brother. Hug your family tight. Hug your loved ones tight. Love your life. Allow life to love you. Smile when you can. Figure out what’s important and embrace it and hold on tight.”
Brooks captioned his video message, “RIP my brother King. @vanderjames.”
Van Der Beek died on Wednesday after battling colorectal cancer. He was 48.
In a heartbreaking statement on Instagram, the “Varsity Blues” star’s wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, said James “passed peacefully.”
“He met his final days with courage, faith and grace,” she wrote.
“There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come,” Kimberly added. “For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
James’ friends created a GoFundMe to help Kimberly, who shares six kids with James, and her family with expenses following his death.
As of the time of publication, the fundraiser has raised more than $1.2 million.
Last year, James, who had been battling Stage 3 cancer since August 2023, auctioned off his personal “Dawson’s Creek” memorabilia to fund his cancer treatments.
