James Van Der Beek’s nine-year-old daughter, Emilia, has spoken out about her late father in an emotional video shared on what would have been the actor’s 49th birthday.
The late Dawson’s Creek star died on February 11 after being diagnosed with colon cancer.
On Sunday, James’s wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, shared a series of posts on her Instagram Stories remembering her husband.
She also shared a video from Emilia, explaining in the caption: “Emilia asked me if she could make a video to post today, walked outside and came back with this.
“In my [Instagram] stories are a whole lot of photos and some videos. All I want to do is watch videos of him right now with the kids. Thank you for the tremendous heart, love and support for the family.
“James... We will celebrate March 8th every day for the rest of our lives.”
In the clip, Emilia introduces herself and says she wants to share some “tips” for people who are currently “getting 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 says.
“If you miss them, you can cry, you can talk to them. I talk to my dad every day... I say, ‘Hi dad, I miss you and I love you so much and I’ll never stop loving you.’ And I just tell him about my day, how I’m feeling and I tell my family how I’m feeling, and I know he can hear me, but I can’t hear him.”
She continues: “I know that my dad’s in a good place. He’s not in pain anymore. He’s in heaven.
“Be happy they’re in a good place. Be sad because you miss them. You can be angry, but don’t blame yourself. Blaming yourself, it’s not a good strategy for someone’s passing.”
She says her father told her he still wanted her to believe in miracles, even if he did not survive cancer: “Miracles can still happen, just later on in life. And they’ll keep coming. But maybe when you want them to come, they might not.”
Finally, she says she was able to steal her dad's hat, which she is wearing in the video, that still “smells like him and I love it so much.”
She concludes her video by thanking all the fans who contributed to the GoFundMe campaign launched to support their family after James’s death, which has raised more than $2.7 million at the time of writing.
In the comments section, friends and supporters shared their overwhelming admiration for Emilia and her wisdom.
“There are literally no words to express how highly I think of Emilia,” wrote professional dancer Emma Slater, who was paired with James on Dancing With The Stars in 2019.
“There are no words, I think she’s the greatest role model ever. I was blown away by her when I saw her recently and I’m blown away now. I can’t wait to see what she does in her life, I’ll be there every step of the way!”
Rumer Willis, whose father Bruce Willis is currently living with frontotemporal dementia, wrote: “This is so profound and beautiful and such a testament to the incredible way you have raised your beautiful family. Happy Birthday James. We love you.”
Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2016, commented: “Thank you for sharing Emilia. You are your dad’s love and legacy with your beautiful family. We love you.”
James and Kimberly shared six children: Olivia, 15; Joshua, 13; Annabel, 12; Emilia, 9; Gwendolyn, 7; and Jeremiah, 4.
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