Scott Adams, the creator of “Dilbert,” a chronicle of the indignities of American office work, who also introduced the IIT-ian Asok through his comic strip, died at 68 of aggressive prostate cancer, according to his family.
On Tuesday, Adams’ ex-wife Shelly Miles revealed his death in a tearful livestream of his YouTube channel Real Coffee with Scott Adams.
In the video, Miles read aloud Adams’ farewell message in which he said: “I’m trying to be strong. If you are reading this, things did not go well for me. My body fell before my brain. I am of sound mind as I write this, January 1, 2026.”
“If I wake up in heaven. I won’t need any more convincing than that. I hope I’m still qualified for entry with your permission, I’d like to explain my life,” Adams said before recounting his marriages as well as accomplishments including his books, illustrations and his YouTube channel.
Adams revealed in May last year that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
Birth of Dilbert In 1989, a young man working for Pacific Bell collected a royalties check from United Media for $368.62 for his comic strip Dilbert. This was the beginning of Scott Adams' career as a professional cartoonist.
Dilbert soon became an icon to white-collar workers around the world, and its success landed Adams book deals, a TV show, and public speaking engagements across the country.
Even after becoming a full-time cartoonist, Adams kept one foot in the corporate world.
The strip gained rapid popularity during the 1990s and was syndicated in more than 400 newspapers by 1994.
After leaving his corporate career to pursue cartooning full-time, Adams achieved significant success with his bestselling 1996 book The Dilbert Principle and the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben award, which he won in 1997.
Downfall of 'Dilbert' comicsNewspapers across the United States dropped the “Dilbert” comic strip over the weekend after its creator, Scott Adams, went on a racist tirade, calling Black Americans a “hate group” and suggesting that White people should “get the hell away” from them, NPR reported.
The USA Today Network, which operates hundreds of newspapers, said it pulled the long-running comic strip. The Washington Post and The Plain Dealer in Cleveland also said they would no longer carry the comic.
The move came after Adams effectively encouraged segregation in a rant on YouTube. His comments came in response to a poll from the conservative firm Rasmussen Reports that said 53% of Black Americans agreed with the statement, “It’s OK to be White.”
The Anti-Defamation League noted that the phrase emerged on the message board 4chan in 2017 as a trolling campaign and has a “long history” in the white supremacist movement.
“If nearly half of all Blacks are not OK with White people – according to this poll, not according to me, according to th is poll – that’s a hate group,” Adams said Wednesday on his YouTube show “Real Coffee with Scott Adams.”
“I don’t want to have anything to do with them,” Adams added. “And I would say, based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to White people is to get the hell away from Black people, just get the f**k away … because there is no fixing this.”
Adams later said on Twitter that he was only “advising people to avoid hate” and suggested that the cancellation of his cartoon signalled that free speech in America was under assault.
Andrews McMeel Syndication, the company that distributes “Dilbert,” did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.
The newspapers that cut the comic strip issued statements to readers.
“Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip, went on a racist rant this week … and we will no longer carry his comic strip in The Plain Dealer,” wrote Chris Quinn, editor of the paper. “This is not a difficult decision.”
“We are not a home for those who espouse racism,” Quinn added. “We certainly do not want to provide them with financial support.”
Gannett, which publishes the USA Today Network of newspapers, tweeted that it aimed to “lead with inclusion and strive to maintain a respectful and equitable environment for the diverse communities we serve nationwide.”
The Washington Post said it also pulled the comic strip.
“In light of Scott Adams’s recent statements promoting segregation, The Washington Post has ceased publication of the Dilbert comic strip,” it said.