Scott Adams, the US cartoonist who wrote and illustrated the comic strip Dilbert, has died of cancer at the age of 68.
His ex-wife Shelly Miles announced his death on Tuesday during a live stream of his podcast, Real Coffee with Scott Adams.
The satirical cartoon strip - about a competent but frustrated engineer and his dysfunctional workplace environment - was first published in 1989, and went on to feature in over 2,000 newspapers across 65 countries.
The character also later appeared in books, an animated TV series, and video games. However, in 2023, his comic strip faced significant backlash, being canceled by major newspapers including the Washington Post following racist comments made by Adams.
Adams had controversially referred to black Americans as a hate group and suggested white Americans get the hell away from black people, in response to a poll indicating that many African-Americans did not believe it was okay to be white. He later defended his remarks, claiming he was using hyperbole and criticizing the media for misrepresenting his comments.
President Trump acknowledged Adams on Truth Social, saying, Sadly, the Great Influencer, Scott Adams, has passed away. He was a fantastic guy, who liked and respected me when it wasn't fashionable to do so. He added that Adams had fought bravely against a terrible disease.
In a tearful tribute during his podcast, Shelly expressed, He's not with us anymore, and read a posthumous message from Adams urging people to pay it forward, emphasizing a desire to be remembered for the love he gave.
In his later years, Adams, also a trained hypnotist, authored self-help books such as How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Win Bigly, Loserthink, and Reframe Your Brain.
Adams had been receiving end-of-life care at home after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he announced in May 2025. He confirmed that the cancer had spread to his bones and expressed his belief that recovery was unlikely. He disclosed on January 1st that breathing was becoming increasingly challenging due to heart failure.
