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Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues star James Van Der Beek sadly died at 48 on February 11, 2026, and since then, his wife and six children have been privately grieving. However, his 9-year-old daughter Emilia recently asked to borrow her mother Kimberly’s phone to record a message on what would have been her dad’s 49th birthday.
During the 4-minute video, Emilia offers a few heartfelt tips for anyone navigating loss and grief just like she is. She explains that one of the best ways of dealing with losing someone you love is to still talk to them, and she admits that she still talks to her dad every day.
“I start with a sentence and I say, ‘Hi dad, I miss you and I love you so much and I’ll never stop loving you.’” She then describes how she tells her dad about her day and how she’s been feeling. She says, “I know he can hear me but I can’t hear him.” Emilia goes on to say that she believes her dad is no longer in pain and he’s in a better place.
Emila’s advice for others going through loss is to not be angry or blame yourself. “Everybody has different emotions in their body and they express it in different ways,” she says. “This is hard. It’s going to be hard.” She adds that her dad told her to keep positive and continue to believe in miracles, even when something doesn’t go your way.
Emilia also admits that the hat she’s wearing in the video was her dad’s. “I stole his hat,” she says, “My dad’s hat smells like him, and I love it so much.” She adds that she knows her dad was loved by many people, and she thanks everyone that donated to her family’s GoFundMe campaign. The donations—worth over $2.7 million—will help maintain stability as the family navigates life without the beloved dad and husband.
Many people online pointed out how kind and eloquent Emilia’s video message was. One person wrote, “This is so profound and beautiful and such a testament to the incredible way you have raised your beautiful family.” Another person added, “What a brilliant and beautiful child. Really no words for how incredible this is.”
Watch Emila’s sweet message in the video above.
Kimberly Van Der Beek: Instagram
Source: Emilia asked me if she could make a video to post today, walked outside and came back with this
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