Paula Cole, who sang ‘Dawson’s Creek’ theme, remembers James Van Der Beek

Paula Cole, whose hit song “I Don’t Want to Wait” became the theme for Dawson’s Creek, remembered the show’s late star, James Van Der Beek, in an Instagram post on Wednesday. He died Feb. 11 after a battle with colorectal cancer.

Paula reposted a carousel of photos of James with his children and wrote, “@vanderjames touched so many of us with his wise, loving and gentle soul. I’m grieving for the loss of such a beautiful person in our world, such a father to his family and husband to @vanderkimberly.”

The Grammy-winning singer then shared why she didn’t attend a September 2025 Dawson’s Creek reunion in New York City, which served as a fundraiser for James and the charity F Cancer.

“I wish I could have attended the fundraising event in NYC in the Fall, and to have met up with so many of the @dawsonscreek_official family, but my Mom has been in hospice,” she wrote. “Please know I am here in shared sadness and love for his family.”

Urging fans to donate to a fundraiser for James’ family, she concluded, “Love is what we leave behind after a lifetime. And love lives eternally.”

Paula, whose most recent album was 2024’s Lo, recently announced that she’s going to start writing books. Later this year she’ll launch a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of her album This Fire, which includes “I Don’t Want to Wait,” as well as her other big hit, “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?”