Jan. 13, 2026Updated Jan. 14, 2026, 9:25 a.m. ET
Scott Adams, the author and cartoonist whose "Dilbert" comic strip satirized corporate life to wide acclaim before controversial comments he made on race sidelined him, has died following a battle with cancer. He was 68.
Adams' ex-wife, Shelly Miles, confirmed Adams' death during a livestream on the "Real Coffee with Scott Adams" show on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
"Hi, everyone. Unfortunately, this isn't good news," Miles said. "Of course, he waited 'til just before the show started, but he's not with us anymore."
Adams shared in May that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. During a New Year's Day broadcast of "Real Coffee with Scott Adams," Adams revealed that his health outlook had worsened, telling fans that his chances of recovery were "essentially zero."
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Adams for comment.
Following the announcement of Adams' death, Miles read a "final message" from the cartoonist, which he wrote on New Year's Day.
"If you are reading this, things did not go well for me," Adams wrote. "I have a few things to say before I go. My body failed before my brain. … If you wonder about any of my choices for my estate or anything else, please know I'm free of any crazen or any inappropriate influence of any sort, I promise."
Adams also revealed in the open letter that he was dedicating his life to Jesus Christ at the persuasion of his Christian friends (Adams described himself as "not a believer").
"I accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior and look forward to spending an eternity with him," Adams wrote. "The part about me not being a believer should be quickly resolved if I wake up in heaven. I won't need any more convincing than that. I hope I'm still qualified for entry."
Miles said that Adams "predicted" his death during a conversation on Monday, explaining, "He knew it was a different feeling than how he had been feeling before."
Adams' former spouse added that the cartoonist's death was "peaceful" and that he was surrounded by loved ones.
Scott Adams' 'Dilbert' comic drew acclaim before racism scandal
Adams' comic strip "Dilbert," which centered on an engineer named Dilbert and his white-collar office, was first published in 1989. The strip's corporate culture backdrop was inspired by Adams' real-life experience of working at the Pacific Bell Telephone Company (aka AT&T).
Over the next decade, the observational comedy cartoon would earn Adams acclaim, with the illustrator receiving the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in 1997.
By 2013, the series was reportedly featured in 2,000 newspapers in 65 countries and translated into 25 languages.
However, the pop cultural legacy of "Dilbert" screeched to a halt in 2023 after numerous newspapers, including the USA TODAY Network, announced they would stop running the strip because of racist comments made by Adams. Discussing poll findings regarding race, the cartoonist labeled Black people a "hate group" and said that white people should "get the hell away from Black people." Adams said at the time that his comments were meant to be hyperbolic.
The comic strip was later relaunched as a webcomic on Locals under the name "Daily Dilbert Reborn."
In addition to "Dilbert," Adams published several books, including "God's Debris" (2001), "The Religion War" (2004), "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big" (2013), "Loserthink: How Untrained Brains Are Ruining America" (2019) and "Reframe Your Brain: The User Interface for Happiness and Success" (2023).
"I had an amazing life," Adams wrote in his New Year's Day letter. "I gave it everything I had. If I got any benefits from my work, I'm asking that you pay it forward as best as you can. That's the legacy I want: be useful. And please know, I loved you all to the very end."
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Contributing: Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY