Scott Adams, the acclaimed creator of the widely popular "Dilbert" comic strip, has died at the age of 68 following a battle with metastatic prostate cancer. The news of his passing was shared by members of The Scott Adams School, formerly known as Coffee With Scott Adams. Adams, once a celebrated satirist of corporate life, had become a controversial public figure in recent years due to his increasingly right-wing statements and views.

Born Scott Raymond Adams on June 8, 1957, in Windham, New York, he developed an early interest in cartooning, beginning to draw comics at age six and citing Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" as a significant inspiration. Adams pursued higher education, earning a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Hartwick College in 1979, the same year he moved to California to commence his career. He spent several years in various office roles, including computer programmer, budget analyst, and teller, at Crocker National Bank from 1979 to 1986. Following this, he earned an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1986, and subsequently joined Pacific Bell. It was during his tenure at Pacific Bell that Adams conceptualized and created "Dilbert," with the title reportedly suggested by a former boss. Drawing inspiration from his coworkers and the absurdities of office politics and corporate jargon, Adams launched "Dilbert" with United Media in 1989. He attributed some of the strip's early popularity to his practice of including his email address, which encouraged readers to share their own cubicle experiences.

"Dilbert" steadily grew into a cultural phenomenon throughout the 1990s, becoming ubiquitous in corporate offices. The strip centered on the titular character, a hapless, bespectacled office drone, alongside characters like the lazy Wally, the rageful Alice, and the incompetent Pointy-Haired Boss. Its frequently surreal humor also featured talking animals, notably Dilbert's brilliant, world-conquering dog, Dogbert, and the sadistic human resources head, Catbert. The strip's immense popularity led to Adams becoming a wealthy man through sales of collected editions, calendars, and merchandise. By 1994, "Dilbert" was syndicated in over 400 newspapers, and in 1995, Adams transitioned to a full-time career as a cartoonist. His work garnered significant accolades, including the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist and Best Newspaper Comic Strip in 1997. "Dilbert" was adapted into a two-season television series on UPN in 1999, with Adams serving as executive producer and showrunner, and was nominated for a 1999 Primetime Emmy. Beyond cartooning, Adams also authored several successful non-fiction books, such as "The Dilbert Principle" (1996) and "The Dilbert Future," as well as a novel, "God's Debris," and books on theology, including "The Religion War." However, some of his other ventures, like the meal-replacement "Dilberito," proved less successful.

In his later years, Adams' public persona shifted dramatically, becoming increasingly identified with conservative and alt-right views. He began writing blog posts praising Donald Trump in 2015 and openly endorsed Trump twice. His daily video podcast often featured conservative guests, and he used his platforms to question the Holocaust and oppose COVID-19 vaccines. The turning point came in February 2023, when "Dilbert" was dropped from syndicated newspapers across the United States after Adams made highly controversial comments on his "Real Coffee with Scott Adams" livestream, labeling Black people as a "hate group" and advising white people to "get the hell away" from them. Despite the widespread condemnation and loss of syndication, Adams relaunched "Dilbert" as "Dilbert Reborn" on the subscription site Locals in March 2023, continuing to publish the comic as a webcomic.

Adams publicly revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis in May, stating that the disease had metastasized to his bones. He noted the irony of having the same cancer as former President Joe Biden, who announced his own prostate cancer diagnosis around the same time. Adams was candid about his prognosis, stating, "I expect to be checking out from this domain sometime this summer," and later adding, "If you’re wondering if I’ll get better, the answer is no, it will only get worse. There’s only one direction this goes now." He sought several alternative treatments, but ultimately, the disease proved terminal. Despite his past political endorsements, he extended respect and compassion to the ex-president and his family, acknowledging the shared struggle with a terrible disease.

In his personal life, Scott Adams was married twice. He wed Shelly Miles in 2006, becoming a stepfather to her two children, Savannah and Justin. Tragically, Justin died of a fentanyl overdose in 2018. Adams and Miles divorced in 2014. In December 2019, he announced his engagement to Kristina Basham, whom he married in July 2020; they divorced in March 2022. Adams is survived by his two ex-wives and a stepdaughter.