Cartoonist and controversial figure "Dilbert" inventor Scott Adams is dead
In his cartoons, Scott Adams took a satirical look at the corporate world. He then made headlines with racist comments. Now Adams has died at the age of 68.
13.01.2026, 21:29
13.01.2026, 21:33
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- The US cartoonist and conservative commentator Scott Adams is dead.
- He died as a result of prostate cancer. He was 68 years old.
- Adams was the inventor of the cartoon strip "Dilbert", which was particularly popular in the 1990s and satirized the corporate world.
- In the 2010s, he became a political supporter of Donald Trump.
- In recent years, Adams has made headlines primarily for his racist statements.
The US artist Scott Adams, who became world-famous with the comic figure "Dilbert", has died. Adams died at the age of 68 at his home in the US state of California as a result of prostate cancer, his ex-wife Shelly Adams announced on YouTube. He fell asleep peacefully in the presence of his relatives.
Shelly Adams also read out a pre-prepared message from her ex-husband: "I had a great life. I gave it my all." US President Donald Trump condoled via his online mouthpiece Truth Social and paid tribute to Scott Adams as a "fantastic guy". Adams had already made his illness public in 2025.
First "Dilbert" comic published in 1989
Adams, who was born in New York State in 1957, worked as a manager for several US companies in the 1980s and 1990s. During this time, he came up with the idea for a comic satirizing the corporate world of work.
He came up with Dilbert as the main character - with a short-sleeved shirt, tie and glasses. The first "Dilbert" comic was published in the USA in 1989 and later appeared all over the world. Dilbert" had its heyday in the 90s. In 1994, the cartoon strip was printed in more than 400 newspapers worldwide.
In recent years, however, Adams has made headlines primarily with derogatory, offensive and racist comments. As a result, he lost almost all comic book commissions in 2023 and only self-published after that. Adams had always denied the accusations and emphasized that he felt misunderstood.
At the same time, he repeatedly repeated similar statements in his podcast. In 2023, he described black Americans as a "hate group" and advised the white population to "stay away from them".
