Katie Holmes has shared a touching tribute to her Dawson’s Creek costar Obi Ndefo after his death.
Holmes, 45, starred on the small screen alongside Ndefo, who played Bodie Wells in the TV series. Obi’s death was announced via Facebook by his sister, Nkem Ndefo, on Saturday, August 31. Obi was 51 years old.
Holmes, who played Joey Potter, took to Instagram Stories on Sunday, September 1, to share her message alongside a screenshot of an Instagram Reel posted by her Dawson’s Creek costar Mary-Margaret Humes on Saturday.
“He was wonderful to work with and such a kind man,” Holmes wrote over the screenshot. “I send prayers and grace to his family. Rest in Peace ❤️.”
The screenshot included a photo of Obi smiling alongside Humes, 70, who played Dawson’s mom, Gail Leery.
Humes’ original Reel showed Holmes and Obi sharing a hug behind the scenes of the teen drama, as well as several photos of Obi in character on the show, which premiered on The WB in January 1998. It ran for six seasons and starred James Van Der Beek in the title role alongside Michelle Williams as Jennifer “Jen” Lindley and Joshua Jackson as Pacey Witter.
Nkem’s Facebook post, which did not include any details of Obi’s death, included a photo of herself smiling next to her brother. “Heartbroken at the loss of my younger brother and knowing he’s finally at peace,” Nkem captioned the photo.
The actor and yoga teacher was best known for his work on Dawson’s Creek, playing the recurring role of Bodie from 1998 to 2002.
Humes’ Saturday Reel tagged several Dawson’s Creek alum including Holmes, Jackson, 46, and Van Der Beek, 47.
Obi’s death comes several years after a tragic hit-and-run accident took both of the actor’s legs in 2019. Obi had been loading groceries into his car in Los Angeles when a speeding drunk driver slammed into him from behind, severing his right leg and damaging his left severely enough to require amputation to save his life.
Despite the horror of what happened, Obi maintained a positive attitude, continuing to teach yoga classes. “This is just so horrendous what happened to me, why would I compound this by feeling bad about it?” he told The Los Angeles Times in December 2019. “I didn’t even have to choose positivity.”
He added, “How do you know how you would handle this? How do you know what your own reserves are? And anyway, what’s the alternative?”
A graduate of Yale University’s drama school, Obi also made appearances on such shows as Angel, The West Wing, The Jamie Foxx Show, Stargate SG-1, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Crossing Jordan, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager.
