“Dilbert” Creator Scott Adams Dies at 68 After Posting a Final Farewell Message

Dilbert creator Scott Adams posted what he called a “final message” announcing his death, triggering an outpouring of tributes that ranged from US President Donald Trump to figures across the public sphere.

Adams, the American cartoonist best known for the long-running comic strip “Dilbert,” died at 68. He had been receiving hospice care at his home in Northern California after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

A post described as his “final message” appeared on his social media accounts and opened with a stark acknowledgment of his condition: “If you’re reading this, things did not go well for me. I have a few things to say before I go. My body fell before my brain. I am of sound mind as I write this January 1, 2026.” In the same message, Adams said he had chosen to “accept Jesus Christ as my lord and saviour” in his final days.

“Many of my Christian friends have asked me to find Jesus before I go,” he wrote, adding that while he did not consider himself a believer, he viewed the “risk-reward” of doing so as compelling. He went on to say he hoped to spend eternity with Christ and that any remaining doubts would be resolved if he “wake[s] up in heaven,” while also expressing hope that he would still be “qualified for entry.”

Adams had publicly disclosed in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. He explained that he had managed the illness privately for a period before sharing it publicly, noting that it had advanced to Stage 4 and spread to his bones.

On January 1, speaking on his “Real Coffee with Scott Adams” podcast, he described the outlook in blunt terms. “I talked to my radiologist yesterday, and it’s all bad news — the odds of me recovering are essentially zero,” he said, adding that he would share updates only if anything changed, though he did not expect it to. He also described losing feeling in his legs and experiencing ongoing heart failure that sometimes made breathing difficult, before warning that January would likely be “a month of transition, one way or another.”

On Monday, Adams’ ex-wife and caregiver, Shelly, confirmed that he was in hospice at his Northern California home and had only a few days left. In his final message, Adams reflected on their continued bond after divorce, writing that he had spent the first part of his life trying to be “a worthy husband and parent” as a way of finding meaning. He said that approach worked for him, but acknowledged that marriages do not always last, describing their split as highly amicable and expressing gratitude for the years they shared and the family he gained.

Adams became a household name in the 1990s through “Dilbert,” a strip that lampooned corporate life with a sharp eye for the absurdity, cruelty, and incompetence that can flourish inside large organizations. First published in 1989, the comic followed its title character, an engineer navigating a micromanaged office. At its peak, it was syndicated in about 2,000 newspapers worldwide.

In the last decade and a half of his career, Adams expanded his influence beyond cartoons through business advice and political commentary. His 2013 bestselling book, “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big,” became widely known for promoting the idea of relying on systems rather than goals and for encouraging readers to build a broad “talent stack” of skills instead of focusing solely on traditional credentials.

Adams turned more directly to politics in 2015 after watching the first Republican presidential primary debate. He said he took notice when then-candidate Donald Trump responded to a moderator’s question about mistreating women by quipping, “Only Rosie O’Donnell.” Adams, who was also a trained hypnotist, went on to predict that Trump—then viewed as a long-shot—would win both the nomination and the presidency.

Trump later paid tribute to Adams in a post on Truth Social, calling him a “great influencer.” “He was a fantastic guy, who liked and respected me when it wasn’t fashionable to do so,” Trump wrote.

Adams’ legacy, however, also included controversy. Numerous outlets, including The Washington Post, stopped running “Dilbert” after Adams posted a video in 2023 in which he referred to Black people as a “hate group.” His remarks followed a poll from conservative-leaning Rasmussen Reports, which he said showed a slim majority of Black respondents agreed with the statement, “It’s okay to be white.” In the video, Adams said, “That’s a hate group and I don’t want anything to do with them,” and added that his advice to white people was to “get the hell away from Black people.”

Adams later defended his statements, saying he had been using hyperbole. He received public support from Elon Musk, who criticized the media outlets that dropped the strip and called their decision “racist.” Musk also reacted to Adams’ death online, writing that even though he knew it was coming, he still could not believe it, and added: “Rest in peace, good and great man, rest in peace.”

– with AFP, New York Post