‘Dilbert’ Cartoonist Scott Adams Dies At 68; Trump Calls Him ‘A Fantastic Guy’, Musk Pays Tribute

Last Updated:January 14, 2026, 02:58 IST

Scott Adams, creator of the long-running comic strip Dilbert, died after a battle with cancer, leaving behind a celebrated and controversial legacy.

Scott Adams, the creator of "Dilbert", the cartoon character that lampoons the absurdities of corporate life, poses with two "Dilbert" characters at a party January 8, 1999 in Pasadena. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)

Scott Adams, the creator of the long-running comic strip Dilbert and a vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump, has died at the age of 68, according to an announcement by his former wife.

Adams’ former wife, Shelly Miles, confirmed his death during an online livestream on Tuesday, where she read out a final message from the cartoonist.

Adams had revealed in May 2025 that he was suffering from metastatic prostate cancer and had said at the time that doctors had given him only months to live.

Known for lampooning the absurdities of corporate office life, Dilbert first appeared in 1989 and went on to become one of the most widely syndicated comic strips in the United States at its peak.

The strip centred on its titular engineer character, recognised by his glasses and perpetually crooked tie, and ran for decades in newspapers worldwide.

Adams continued to speak publicly about his illness through social media and his online show Coffee with Scott Adams, documenting his health struggles until the final months of his life.

During his illness, he made a direct appeal to Trump to intervene with his healthcare provider, Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, to secure access to the targeted radiotherapy drug Pluvicto.

Trump responded publicly to the appeal in November, posting “On it" on social media. Adams later said he would begin treatment the following day.

Following Adams’ death, Trump paid tribute on Truth Social, calling him “the Great Influencer".

“Sadly, the Great Influencer, Scott Adams, has passed away," Trump wrote. “He was a fantastic guy, who liked and respected me when it wasn’t fashionable to do so. He bravely fought a long battle against a terrible disease."

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk also reacted to Adams’ death, writing on X that he had known Adams’ death was coming but was still struggling to process it. “Even though I knew his death was coming, as he told us it would, I still can’t believe he has died," Musk wrote. “Rest in peace, good and great man, rest in peace."

Adams’ career, however, had been overshadowed in recent years by controversy. In 2023, many US newspapers dropped Dilbert after Adams made racist remarks in a YouTube video, describing Black Americans as a “hate group" and urging white Americans to “get the hell away from Black people". The comments triggered widespread backlash.

Adams later said his remarks were intended as hyperbole, denied being racist, and accused media outlets of ignoring the context of his statements.

Musk publicly defended Adams at the time, accusing sections of the media of bias.

Despite the controversy, Dilbert remains one of the most recognisable comic strips of the modern American workplace era.

(with inputs from Reuters)

News world ‘Dilbert’ Cartoonist Scott Adams Dies At 68; Trump Calls Him ‘A Fantastic Guy’, Musk Pays Tribute

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