Nearly a month after "Dawson's Creek" star James Van Der Beek's death, his 9-year-old daughter, Emilia Van Der Beek, shared a message about coping with loss in a video posted to Instagram by her mother, Kimberly Van Der Beek.
The video was shared Sunday, marking what would have been the late actor's first birthday since his death. James Van Der Beek died Feb. 11 at age 48 following a battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
Speaking directly to viewers, Emilia Van Der Beek explained she wanted to offer "little tips" to help people dealing with the death of someone they love.
"As you will probably know, my dad has passed away," Emilia Van Der Beek began, before she said she was going to share "little tips" to help others "get through anybody you love passing."
"So today is my dad's birthday, and the number one thing for somebody's passing is to talk to them and let your emotions out," she said. "If you miss them, you can cry. You can talk to them. I talk to my 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.' "
Emilia Van Der Beek described how she views her father's presence after his death.
"You have to feel them in your heart, because they're in your heart. They're watching over you. They're a part of your body and in a good place," she said.
"I know that my dad's in a good place," she added. "He's not in pain anymore. He's in heaven above the clouds with God and the Lord."
Emilia Van Der Beek added that it is natural for people to experience a range of feelings after losing someone close.
"Everybody has different emotions in their body, and they express it in different ways. Many, many different ways," she continued. "And don't let anybody tell you that. Be like, 'No, you don't know how I feel.'"
She also reflected on advice she said her father gave her before his death.
"Everything is meant to happen for a reason," Emilia Van Der Beek said. "Something my dad told me was if this doesn't work out the way he wanted it to and the way we wanted it to for him living, I still have to believe in miracles. Miracles can still happen, just later on in life, and they'll keep coming."
In the video, she also acknowledged the outpouring of support from others following his death and thanked supporters who donated to a GoFundMe created by friends of her mother to help the family.
The fundraising campaign has drawn some online criticism. In one instance, a Threads user recently questioned the need for donations after reports circulated that James Van Der Beek had purchased a $4.8 million ranch in Texas shortly before his death.
Actor Mehcad Brooks, described as a close friend of James Van Der Beek, defended the family on Threads.
"I am one of the Van Der Beek's closest friends, and the headlines are fake AF," Brooks wrote in a since-deleted post, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "You have no idea wtf you're talking about. You have no idea the pain they went through."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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