Katie Holmes reacts to sudden death of Dawson’s Creek co-star Obi Ndefo

Obi Ndefo played Holmes’s character’s brother-in-law in The WB teen drama

Katie Holmes has mourned the death of her Dawson’s Creek co-star Obi Ndefo.

Ndefo’s death at the age of 51 was announced by his sister on Saturday (31 August), who posted on Facebook: “Heartbroken at the loss of my younger brother and knowing he’s finally at peace.” No cause of death was given.

The actor starred in teen drama Dawson’s Creek from 1998 to 2002 as Bodie Wells – the brother-in-law of Holmes’s Joey Potter. The series followed the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts.

“He was wonderful to work with and such a kind man. I send prayers and grace to his family. Rest in Peace,” Holmes wrote on Instagram over the weekend underneath a screenshotted photo of a tribute reel first shared by fellow Dawson’s star Mary-Margaret Humes.

Humes, who played Gale Leery in The WB series, shared on Instagram: “These words don’t come easy. It’s hard for me to conceive that you have left us, my dear friend.

“You always were and always will be a bright shining light. What an example of pure unfiltered love and tenacity you set as you faced life’s challenges of recent.”

Katie Holmes played Joey Potter in The WB’s ‘Dawson’s Creek’ (Getty Images for American Ballet)

She continued: “I will cherish all of our messages of love and support to each other over the past few years. Rest in peace sweet warrior.”

Throughout his career, Ndefo, who was also a yoga teacher, starred in Angel, The West Wing, Stargate SG-1 and Star Trek: Voyager.

His most recent credit arrived in a 2021 episode of NCIS: Los Angeles.

In 2019, Ndefo lost both his legs when a car smashed into him while he was parked in Los Angeles.

Obi Ndefo as Bodie Wells in ‘Dawson’s Creek’ (The WB)

Reflecting on the hit-and-run incident in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Ndefo shared his positive outlook on the situation: “This is just so horrendous what happened to me, why would I compound this by feeling bad about it?

“There is no other choice for me. So there’s a sort of rigour to me, and I think, ‘OK my legs are severed. I don’t know how to do this, but I know how to do this.’”

Ndefo was the founder of the Los Angeles-based non-profit Arts Alliance for Humanity, which supports keeping arts education in public schools and communities.