'Dilbert' creator Scott Adams dies of cancer at 68

Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Scott Adams, the creator of the "Dilbert" comic, has died after a months-long battle with prostate cancer, his family announced Tuesday.

Adams announced his prostate cancer diagnosis in May and said then that he had only months left to live.

"Unfortunately, this isn't good news. He's not with us ... anymore," Shelly Miles, Adams' ex-wife, said on social media.

President Donald Trump noted Adams' passing on Tuesday and called him a "great influencer" in a Truth Social post.

"He was a fantastic guy who liked and respected me when it wasn't fashionable to do so," Trump said of Adams. "He bravely fought a long battle against a terrible disease."

The president offered his condolences to Adams' "family and all of his many friends and listeners," adding: "He will be truly missed."

Adams died a day after telling his fans and social media followers that he had lived "way past my expiration" date and could not promise he had even one more day left on Earth.

"You can tell I'm getting weaker and weaker," he said. "I've been told that's the way I'll know how much time I have left."

Adams said his "tiredness and my pain are maxing out," adding that his bones are "in quite bad shape."

He credited ex-wife Miles with helping to keep him alive and thanked biographer Joel Pollak for "keeping the lights on," according to NBC News.

Adams' "Dilbert" comic first was published in 1989 and satirized office work.

The National Cartoonists Society in 1997 gave Adams its Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonists of the Year, joining the ranks that include Charles Schulz, Gary Larson, Matt Groening and Gary Trudeau.

He later was criticized for questioning the extent of the Holocaust, likening women to children and accusing Black people of being part of a "racist hate group," while encouraging white people to stay away from them.

Adams later blamed advocates of neo-Marxist critical race theory; diversity, equity and inclusion; and environmental, social and governance movements for canceling his "Dilbert" comic.

"If you look into the context, the point that got me cancelled is that CRT, DEI and ESG all have in common the framing that white Americans are historically the oppressors and black Americans have been oppressed, and it continues to this day," Adams said on his website.

"I recommended staying away from any group of Americans that identifies your group as the bad guys, because that puts a target on your back," he added.

Miles on Jan. 1 said Adams underwent a conversion to Christianity late in his life.

Notable deaths of 2025

Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. arrives on the red carpet for the premiere of HBO's "Vice" in New York City on April 2, 2013. Whitlock Jr., known for his roles on "The Wire" and "Veep," died at the age of 71 on December 30. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo