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Not even two months have passed since his passing.
James Van Der Beek’s daughter, Emilia, just celebrated her birthday.
This was her first birthday since his death.
The actor’s widow, Kimberly, shared a sweet photo of the father and daughter.
Emilia is now 10 years old
On Thursday, March 26, Kimberly Van Der Beek shared a bittersweet response in honor of her daughter’s third birthday.
The photo shows the late actor with his 9-year-old daughter, embracing each other at night.
Clearly, this is one of the countless photos and video shots that the family will have to cherish for the rest of their lives.
(Obviously they prefer the same man to stay with them.)
“Just a few months ago,” Kimberly captioned the photo. “I miss you my love.”
— Fanana Hammock (@fananahammock.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 12:36 pm
To be clear, Thursday was not Emilia’s birthday.
(March 26 is an auspicious birth date for anyone! Bhad Bhabie has this birthday, to name a few.)
She turned 10 years old on Monday, March 23.
However, social media was filled with tributes on her birthday.
Her first Christmas since her father’s death was always a challenge. You’ll feel his loss every birthday – and every other milestone – but this is the first. It’s cruel.
His birthday was just a few weeks ago
James himself was born on March 8, 1977.
This means that this month also saw his family celebrating his birthday after his death.
Kimberly shared a video in which 9-year-old Emilia showed a remarkable amount of emotional intelligence.
She spoke about losing her father just a month ago, and shared her “little tips” on dealing with grief.
Among other things, Emilia discussed talking to her late father, even knowing he couldn’t answer.
“Today is my father’s birthday,” Emilia told the camera in early March.
“The first thing when someone dies is to talk to them and express your feelings,” she wisely advised.
“If you miss them, you can cry,” she stressed. “You can talk to them.”
“I talk to my parents every day,” Emilia shared.
For example, she cited: “I start a sentence, and I say, ‘Hi, Dad. “I miss you and love you so much, and I will 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 have 15-year-old Olivia, 13-year-old Joshua, 12-year-old Annabelle, 7-year-old Gwendolyn, and 4-year-old Jeremiah.
These are children at very different stages of life.
This means that each of them is also dealing with their father’s death in very different ways.
We hope, despite everything, that Emilia has a happy Christmas. We continue to wish the best to the entire Van Der Beek family.