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Kimberly Van Der Beek has found a new way to remember her deceased husband, James Van Der Beek.
The grieving widow took to her Instagram stories on Tuesday, September 8th, to join the viral AI trend to recreate memories of her deceased partner.
Kimberly compiled five AI-generated photos of herself and the former Dawson's Creek star, along with an emotional caption.
The film producer wrote, "Felt like a solid use of AI today," followed by another slide, beneath which she penned, "If James and I were doing our thing in the 80s."
Notably, the viral images show the couple dressed in various ensembles that included double denim, loose-fitting white shirts, chunky belts and cowboy hats.
Another corner of the photo collage has an emotional message from Kimberly that read, "Typing into ChatGPT what would I have looked like in the 80s."
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For those unversed, this post came shortly after Kimberly took to social media to mark what would have been her and James’ 16th wedding anniversary.
"16 years ago I was the luckiest woman in the world to marry @vanderjames," she captioned her Instagram tribute on August 1st.
How did James Van Der Beek died?
James Van Der Beek died from complications related to stage 3 colorectal cancer on February 11th, 2026, at the age of 48.
He was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2023 after noticing changes in his bowel habits.
The deceased actor kept his medical struggle private for over a year before sharing the diagnosis publicly in late 2024 to raise awareness.
James Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly Van Deer Beek, share six children: daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 10, and Gwendolyn, 8, and sons Joshua, 14, and Jeremiah, 4. James is survived by Kimberly and their children.
