James Van Der Beek's wife Kimberly is reacting to the devastating loss of actor Eric Dane ... posting a group photo of her and James alongside Eric and his wife, Rebecca, with their two daughters.

Kimberly added a deeply personal note to the tribute, writing, "We love you. Will miss our guys laughing at Christmas parties together" ... a simple but powerful reminder of the off-camera friendship and holiday memories they shared.

The photo itself was taken back in 2017 at the 16th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball -- which helps homeless and low-income individuals attain self-sufficiency through finding and keeping jobs -- a charitable event nonetheless, something both men were always passionate about.

As we reported ... we lost two Hollywood acting legends this month -- first, "Dawson's Creek" star James Van Der Beek on February 11 and then shortly after we lost "Grey's Anatomy" and "Euphoria" fan favorite Eric Dane on February 19.

Van Der Beek revealed he was battling stage 3 colorectal cancer in late 2024 and is now survived by Kimberly and their six children: daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia, and Gwendolyn, and sons Joshua and Jeremiah. Dane revealed last year was diagnosed with ALS.

Both legends now have GoFundMe pages that were launched by friends of each of the men, in order to support their families during this grieving period.