Emma Slater has paid tribute to former Dancing with the Stars partner, Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek, following his death at age 48.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I'm so devastated. He is and will always be family to me," Emma wrote on James' Instagram page on Wednesday, February 11.
"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."
RELATED LINK: 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' PROS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: WHO'S DATING OR MARRIED TO WHOM!? (PHOTOS)
Fellow Dancing with the Stars pro Jenna Johnson also honored James, writing on his account, "An incredible father, husband, artist, and so much more. Sending your family all the love and comfort [heart emoji]."
ADVERTISEMENT
Emma and Jenna both penned sweet messages in the comments section of James' February 11 death announcement.
James' wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, revealed on Wednesday that he had passed away only hours earlier.
"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," Kimberly wrote alongside a photo of the late actor.
James had been battling colorectal cancer prior to his death.
"He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come," Kimberly continued.
ADVERTISEMENT
"For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."
In addition to Kimberly, James is survived by the couple's six children.
Given acting came naturally to him, James challenged himself by competing on Dancing with the Stars.
He and Emma partnered during the show's 28th season in 2019, finishing in fifth place.
At the time, James told Us Weekly he decided to join the competition because the timing felt right and he loved music.
ADVERTISEMENT
Throughout the season, he performed each routine with a wide smile.
James admitted in 2019 that the experience was "exhausting mentally, physically and emotionally" -- but in the "best possible way."
"My favorite thing about my job is when I get to learn skills that most people don't ordinarily learn from the best in the world. Being challenged and having an amazing teacher is really my happy place," James told the magazine.
"So whether it's learning fight skills for the next project that I'm going to do or learning how to ballroom dance... Over the last 10 years, every year I would purposely seek out a skill, that I wasn't very good at and just learn."
He added, "Just to go through the humility of not being good at something, of working through the challenges and then coming out on the other side with a new skill set."
ADVERTISEMENT
Emma previously told Us in 2019 that James was "able to show his kids that life is so creative and so beautiful."
She said his time in the ballroom taught his children to put themselves out there, "open doors" and "not be afraid to try something that you're not necessarily used to."
RELATED LINK: 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' PROS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: WHO'S DATING OR MARRIED TO WHOM!? (PHOTOS)
"I think that rather than him just telling his kids that they have to do that, he was able to show them by doing the show," she concluded at the time.
James was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023, when he was 46 years old. He publicly announced his diagnosis in November 2024.