When our childhood heroes pass away: the end of an era

Like everyone else, I recently learned of the death of James Van Der Beek at 48 years old. Dawson.

The name alone is enough to take you back to the 90s, right? Those evenings when we watched our favorite series without thinking about anything else.

And then, suddenly, you realize that with him, a part of your adolescence is disappearing.

You see, what strikes me is not just the disappearance of an actor. It's the symbolism behind it.

Those people, Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty, Matthew Perry, James Van Der Beek… it was our childhood heroes. We saw them every week, we grew up with them, and today they leave us far too soon.

Luke Perry, Dylan in Beverly Hills 90210, died in 2019. Matthew Perry, the unforgettable Chandler from Friends in 2023. Or Shannen Doherty aka Brenda from Beverly Hills & Prue in Charmed, She passed away a year and a half ago after battling cancer for years.

And now, James Van Der Beek. 48 years old, also from cancer. That's young, 48 years old.

A generation that sees its reference points disappearing

If you were born in the 80s or early 90s, you probably feel the same way: the death of these figures is a reminder of the passage of time.

These are familiar faces and emotions etched in our memories. With them, it's a little our era which is disappearing, the one before the Internet, before notifications and everything that social networks have brought with them.

We eagerly awaited the next episode. It was our daily or weekly appointment, depending on the series. And of course, we shared our emotions at recess, not on social media.

It was another way of experiencing culture: simpler, more sincere.

Look Dawson Or Beverly Hills At the time, it meant feeling understood, having points of reference. And that's surely why their disappearances resonate so strongly: they don't just concern stars, but our collective memory.

Impermanence, or how life catches up with us

In recent years, we've lost far too many of those heroes from our childhood or adolescence. And each time, it's a wrench. Perhaps because, without realizing it, we see our own generation aging through them. We remember a time when everything still seemed possible, and suddenly, we understand that nothing lasts—not even those characters who seemed immortal in our memories.

That's the impermanence of life. It doesn't make a sound. It just reminds you that time passes, that everything changes, and that nothing is ever truly secure.

But ultimately, that's also what makes life precious. Look: we still talk about it today, we remember, we share those emotions. They continue to exist through what they passed on to us—a certain nostalgia, a simplicity that we've somewhat lost in our fast-paced world.

So no, it's not just a “American actor died at 48”.It's a bittersweet reminder: that of a generation that knew the world before digital technology and that is gradually seeing those who shaped it disappear.

So the next time you think about Dawson, Beverly Hills Or Friends, mouse.

Remember that precise moment when you were on your couch, without your phone in your hand, just completely present in what you were experiencing.

Because ultimately, that's what true tribute is: continuing to cherish that era, those heroes who shaped our childhood and what they left within us.