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It hasn’t even been two months since he passed.
James Van Der Beek’s daughter, Emilia, just had a birthday.
This was her very first birthday since he died.
The actor’s widow, Kimberly, shared a beautiful throwback of the father and daughter.
Emilia is now 10 years old
On Thursday, March 26, Kimberly Van Der Beek shared a bittersweet throwback in honor of her third daughter’s birthday.
The photo shows the late actor with his then-9-year-old daughter, embracing in the night.
This is clearly one of what must be countless photos and video stills that the family has to treasure for the rest of their lives.
(They would obviously prefer to have the man himself still with them.)
“Just a few heavenly months ago,” Kimberly captioned the photo. “Missing you my love.”
Emilia Van Der Beek turned 10 this week.
— fanana hammock (@fananahammock.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 12:36 PM
To clarify, Thursday was not Emilia’s birthday.
(March 26 is an auspicious date of birth for anyone! Bhad Bhabie has that birthday, to name one.)
She turned ten years old on Monday, March 23.
However, social media was filled with birthday tributes honoring her.
This, her first birthday since her father’s passing, was always going to be a challenge. She will feel his loss every birthday — and every other milestone — but this is the first. It’s rough.
His birthday was only a few weeks ago
James himself was born on March 8, 1977.
That means that this month also saw his family celebrate his birthday after his passing.
Kimberly shared a video in which Emilia, then 9, displayed a remarkable amount of emotional intelligence.
She spoke about having lost her father just one month earlier, sharing her “little tips” on dealing with grief.
Among other things, Emilia discussed speaking to her late father, even knowing that he cannot respond.
“So today is my dad’s birthday,” Emilia told the camera in early March.
“And the number one thing for somebody’s passing is to talk to them and let your emotions out,” she sagely advised.
“If you miss them, you can cry,” she affirmed. “You can talk to them.”
Emilia shared: “I talk to my dad every day.”
As an example, she cited: “I start with a sentence, and I say, ‘Hi, Dad. I miss you and I love you so much, and I’ll never stop loving you.’”
Emilia has five siblings who are going through this with her
Kimberly and James welcomed six children.
In addition to Emilia, they share 15-year-old Olivia, 13-year-old Joshua, 12-year-old Annabel, 7-year-old Gwendolyn, and 4-year-old Jeremiah.
These are children at very different stages of life.
This means that they are also each coping with their father’s passing in very different ways.
We hope that, despite everything, Emilia had a happy birthday. We continue to wish the entire Van Der Beek family the very best.
