This person died in 2026, age 48. Asked in 2023 what advice he would give his younger self, he said: "Don't be surprised if six years of work gets reduced to a three-second GIF of you crying." In 1997, he was studying English at Drew University in New Jersey when the opportunity for his breakout role came along. In 1999, he played a high school football player in the coming-of-age movie Varsity Blues. Today's dead celebrity is James Van Der Beek.

This is a shorter episode than usual as we say goodbye to James and The Van Der Beek category.

If you liked this episode, you might also like Episode 88 Dirty Dancer (Patrick Swayze) or Episode 57 Cool Hand Dylan (Luke Perry).

LINKS:

14th Street Studios

Transcript of this episode

NYT Obituary for James Van Der Beek

Asshole for Hire — James Van Der Beek for Funny or Die

Castle in the Sky (1986) — Studio Ghibli

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

Famous & Gravy official website

James Van Der Beek gave Famous & Gravy its name for a category. In this special tribute episode, Michael Osborne and co-host Sarah Murphy remember the Dawson's Creek star not as a punchline but as a person: a self-aware kid who knew what he wanted at 15, a reluctant internet icon who leaned into the memes with humor and grace, an adopted Texan who found peace on a ranch with six kids and a gratitude that came through in his final videos. RIP Category retires the Vanderbeek and replaces it with the Pitch at the Pearly Gates — and makes the case that James Van Der Beek, at 48, had lived a genuinely good life.

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