“Dilbert” creator Scott Adams died Tuesday of cancer at age 68 at his home in Pleasanton, California, according to his former wife, Shelly Adams.
In a video posted to social media, Shelly Adams read a statement dated Jan. 1, 2025, in which Scott Adams, dying of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones, said, “My body failed before my brain.”
She said he had died shortly before his scheduled show. He had been under hospice care in recent days and previously said he did not expect to survive past this month.
In the statement, Adams gave a recap of his career, and concluded by saying, “I had an amazing life. I gave it everything I had.” He also asked people who had benefited from his work “to pay it forward as best you can.”
“That’s the legacy I want: Be useful. And please know I loved you all to the very end,” he said.
In the statement, Adams also fulfilled a promise he had made to his Christian friends: that he would convert to Christianity, even though he continued to identify as a nonbeliever.
“I’m not a believer, but I have to admit the risk-reward calculation for (converting) looks attractive to me. So here I go: I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior and look forward to spending an eternity with him. The part about me not being a believer should be completely resolved if I wake up in heaven. I won’t need any more convincing than that. I hope I’m still qualified for entry,” he said.
When he announced his diagnosis last May, Adams said he didn’t expect to live past the summer and that he might take advantage of California’s law that allows physician-assisted suicide. There was no mention of that in recent weeks, as Adams explored new treatments and ultimately focused on interacting with his fans and setting up a new community called “The Scott Adams School.”