James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly made the decision to leave Los Angeles and embrace a more quiet life in Texas in 2020.

The Dawson’s Creek star — who died on Wednesday at the age of 48 following a two-year battle with colorectal cancer — and his family swapped their Beverly Hills home for a 36-acre ranch in Austin.

The decision was partly influenced by their children, with the late father-of-six sharing that he wanted them to be closer to nature, in a 2021 interview with Austin Life.

‘We wanted to give the children space and we wanted them to live in nature,’ the actor said. 

It also followed a string of heartbreaks for the pair. Van Der Beek lost his mother Melinda Weber in July 2020, and Kimberly suffered five miscarriages, including two late-term.

Van Der Beek and his wife share daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, nine, and Gwendolyn, seven, as well as sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, four. 

James Van Der Beek — who died on Wednesday at the age of 48 — and his wife Kimberly made the decision to leave Los Angeles and embrace a more quiet life in Texas in 2020

‘It’s a magical place. There’s an energy [in Austin] that transcends any one religion or ideology,’ Van Der Beek said of his new home base.

He added that Texas appealed to him because it is ‘different’ and a ‘hands-on way of life’ which he had been craving.

The couple also shared how they felt a sense of community in Texas.

‘I do really feel looked out for,’ Van Der Beek said. ‘And to be able to show that to our kids and how we help out and become part of that process, in addition to giving them room to run and ride, it’s been amazing.’

Van Der Beek and Kimberly tied the knot during an intimate ceremony in Israel in 2010, but the Covid-19 pandemic prevented them from celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary in 2020.

Instead, they decided to take a trip to Austin. Van Der Beek’s business consultant wife remembered feeling the positive ‘energy’ upon their arrival.

According to Kimberly, they went for a drive and meditated under a tree during their anniversary visit, to decide whether they should move.

She felt they needed a change of scenery after what they had endured, as she needed to be ‘immersed’ in nature to ‘heal’.

The Dawson’s Creek star and his family swapped their Beverly Hills home for a 36-acre ranch in Austin following a string of family tragedies 

The decision was partly influenced by their children, with the father-of-six stating that he wanted them to be closer to nature. The actor and his wife share daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, nine, and Gwendolyn, seven, as well as sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, four

‘We wanted to give the children space and we wanted them to live in nature’ the actor said in a 2021 interview with Austin Life magazine

Kimberly had also suffered five miscarriages, including two late-term, and felt they needed a change of scenery after what they had endured

The actor also lost his mother Melinda Weber (pictured) in July 2020 

‘We had just been through a crazy year; with two late-term miscarriages, my body was still healing and it was hard for me to walk around at that point,’ Kimberly shared.

Kimberly confirmed she had only been out of hospital for a few months when they left for Austin, and was feeling exhausted.

She previously revealed that she thought she was going to die after suffering two miscarriages in seven months.

She admitted her baby losses in November 2019 and June 2020 were ‘incredibly difficult’ to cope with and left her so ill, she was not sure she would make it through.

‘I’ve had, actually, five miscarriages total, but the last two were significant in that they hospitalized me. Those were incredibly difficult, emotionally and physically,’ she told Entertainment Tonight in 2021.

In 2020, Van Der Beek discussed his reasons for moving in an Instagram post, adding that his controversial elimination from Dancing With The Stars was also a contributing factor.

‘In the last ten months,’ he wrote, ‘we’ve had two late-term pregnancy losses, each of which put @vanderkimberly in the hospital, we spent Christmas break thinking she had a tumor (the doctor was wrong, thank god), a business colleague I hired hijacked the project and stabbed me in the back, I was prematurely booted off a reality dancing show I was favored to win in front of the whole world, and my mom died.’

‘And a shut-down. All of that led to some drastic changes in our lives, and dreams, and priorities… and landed us here.’

Van Der Beek announced the move in an Instagram post in September 2020, sharing a few snaps of their empty house in Beverly Hills

The actor, who also starred in Varsity Blues, One Tree Hill and CSI: Cyber, said he was ‘overflowing with profound gratitude’ amid the change in his life.

Kimberly also explained why the family was looking to move out of Los Angeles that year on The Make Down podcast: ‘I think we’re in a time right now where people are wanting to ground themselves a little bit more into nature.’

She said that Los Angeles ‘has been a magical place for many years’ in her life, making the move an emotional one: ‘So much life has been lived here, I’m going to go through a process to leave. I mean, I birthed three kids in the home I’m living in.

‘But you know, I gotta get out of the concrete jungle for a little bit.’

Van Der Beek announced the move in an Instagram post in September 2020, sharing a few snaps of their empty house in Beverly Hills.

‘Sometimes a fuller life begins with an empty house,’ he said in the caption. ‘Leaving Los Angeles incredibly grateful for all the friends and memories we’ve made here. Onto the next big adventure!’

The family then went on a weeks-long road trip east, with Van Der Beek offering fans glimpses of their journey along the way.

The actor’s loved ones confirmed his passing in an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday, following a two-year battle with colorectal cancer

One of their stops included the Grand Canyon in Arizona, where they posed with their kids and pets for a sweet photograph.

Two years after they relocated, Van Der Beek told People that the move has been ‘really centering.’

‘It’s been grounding, and a different kind of education that we never could have offered them in a classroom,’ he said of his kids.

The actor’s loved ones confirmed his passing in an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday.

It 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.’

A GoFundMe page was launched on Wednesday to help support Van Der Beek’s family. 

Van Der Beek starred alongside Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams in the beloved series Dawson’s Creek, which ran for six seasons

Van Der Beek announced in November 2024 that he had cancer.

His last Instagram post was on January 25 where he looked slender but healthy. He was wishing his daughter and father a happy birthday.

Van Der Beek shot to fame in the 90s as Dawson’s Creek teen heartthrob Dawson Leery when he was 20 years old.

The drama ran for six seasons on the WB Network between 1998 and 2003 and also launched the careers of Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson.