In the wake of the heartbreaking death of “Dawson’s Creek” star James Van Der Beek, “Dancing with the Stars” pro Emma Slater shared a beautiful tribute online.
Slater and Van Der Beek partnered for season 28 of “Dancing with the Stars.” Their elimination broke the hearts of fans and the rest of the cast, and now Van Der Beek’s death is hitting everybody who knew or admired him even harder.
Emma Slater Wrote of Her Ongoing Love for Her DWTS Partner James Van Der Beek
On February 11, a post announcing Van Der Beek’s death was posted on his Instagram page. Slater quickly commented on the post, acknowledging her heartbreak.
Slater wrote, “I’m so devastated. He is and will always be family to me.”
She continued, “Love you so much James. The man that you are, you can be proud of.”
“So grateful that I got to be there to say goodbye to you,” Slater’s comment closed.
While neither the family or Slater gave additional context, her comment made it seem she had an opportunity to visit with Van Der Beek shortly before his death.
DWTS Fans Loved the Partnership Between Slater & Van Der Beek
The comment by Slater received a flood of “likes” from fans in the moments after it was posted. In less than an hour, it had over 1,240 likes and a handful of people had replied to it directly.
One “Dancing with the Stars” fan wrote, “You’re the first one I thought of when I heard Emma. I’m so sorry for your loss as well.”
Another fan added, “Hugs. He always seemed like a kind good soul.”
“Loved your partnership with James,” someone else wrote.
“Your partnership was beautiful. I always wished they would do another All Stars season and James would be asked back,” read an additional response.
The Van Der Beek Family Experienced a Miscarriage While He Competed on DWTS
When Van Der Beek competed with Slater in season 28 of “Dancing with the Stars,” he was an immediate fan favorite. Midway through the season, however, his family endured heartbreak. His wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, experienced a miscarriage.
At the time, Slater told Us Weekly, “His strength is Kimberly. She is the most inspirational, strongest, most high-spirited person I know, and she was basically not having it, that he was going to stay home” after the miscarriage.
Slater continued, “She was making sure she was pushing him out the door. He has just been torn lately with what has happened, his personal tragedy, and she really is the person who says, ‘I need you to go there and dance and show everybody how great you are and shine.’ And that’s what he did tonight.”
