Katie Holmes and Alfonso Ribeiro have written heartfelt tributes to their late friend James Van Der Beek.
The actress, who played Van Der Beek's childhood friend and on-off girlfriend Joey Potter in Dawson's Creek, shared a handwritten letter addressed to her late co-star on Instagram.
"James. Thank you. To share space with your imagination is sacred - breathing the same air in the land of make believe and trusting that each other's hearts are safe in their expression...," her note began. "These are some of the memories along with laughter, conversations about life, James Taylor songs - adventures of a unique youth..."
Holmes then praised Van Der Beek's "bravery, compassion, selflessness and strength" as well as his "appreciation for life", describing his life as "the journey of a Hero".
"I mourn this loss with a heart holding the reality of his absence and deep gratitude for his imprint on it," she continued. "To (his wife) Kimberly and the children, we are here for you always. And will always be there to shower you with love and compassion."
She captioned the post, "I formed some words with a heavy heart. This is a lot to process. I am so grateful to have shared in a piece of James' journey. He is beloved. Kimberly, we love you and will be here always for you and your beautiful children."
Van Der Beek, who played Dawson Leery in the teen drama series, died on Wednesday at the age of 48 after battling colorectal cancer for more than two years.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Ribeiro told his Instagram followers that he was "so broken" by the death of his "true friend" and "brother", but felt grateful that he was able to say goodbye in person over the weekend.
"I was with him through this horrible journey to beat cancer. His family and friends went on this roller coaster ride. The highs when it looked like he had it beat to the breaking lows of it coming back," he shared alongside a photo of the duo.
Ribeiro thanked the actor and his wife for changing his life and vowed to "always be there" for their six children, including his goddaughter Gwen.
"He will live forever in my heart," he continued. "I will always hold my role as Gwen's Goddie daddy as one of the most important roles of my life. I love you James and know I have a guardian angel watching over me. Being able to say goodbye this weekend will always live with me."
Meanwhile, Van Der Beek's Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 co-star Krysten Ritter described him as a "beautiful human inside out" and added, "I'm so grateful for our friendship and so heartbroken."
And Reese Witherspoon, who executive produced Van Der Beek's final TV show, the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel Elle, told her Instagram followers that she was "devastated" by his death.
