Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Dead Following Cancer Battle

11 hours ago 1

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Annie Banks is a Rotten Tomatoes–approved critic, and CBR editor and writer specializing in anime, comics, and superheroes. Their work has also appeared in Collider and The Mary Sue, where they covered pop culture, fandoms, and entertainment trends. A lifelong fan whose love for storytelling began with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Annie blends critical insight with genuine passion for geek culture, from sci-fi to K-pop.

It's been confirmed that the creator of the Dilbert comic strip, Scott Adams, has passed away.

Per Variety, Scott had passed away "after a battle with metastatic prostate cancer. He was 68." Dilbert served as a long-time weekly comic strip published in newspapers. The major entertainment trade also noted that "Members of The Scott Adams School (formerly called Coffee With Scott Adams) shared the news of Adams’ death."

The Dilbert creator spoke to his fans about his cancer diagnosis, confirming the severity of the illness. “I have the same cancer that Joe Biden has," Adams said in an official statement. "I also have prostate cancer that has also spread to my bones... I expect to be checking out of this domain sometime this summer.”

Variety additionally notes Adams' continuation of the Dilbert series in recent years. "In February 2023, Dilbert was dropped from syndicated newspapers in the United States following comments made by Adams on his 'Real Coffee with Scott Adams' live stream.... In March 2023, Adams relaunched Dilbert as Dilbert Reborn on the subscription site Locals."

The Legacy of Scott Adams' Dilbert Comic

Dilbert and a coworker are throwing their hands up in celebration while another coworker, Dilbert's boss and Dilbert's dog watch.

Adams began drawing comics at an early age, and before creating Dilbert, he worked at Crocker National Bank, as a computer programmer, budget analyst, and teller. Though he earned a Bachelor's degree in economics, Adams launched Dilbert in 1986, which doubled as a reflection of his time working at Pacific Bell. Variety reported that

"by 1994, Dilbert was syndicated in more than 400 newspapers, and in 1995 Adams left Pacific Bell to become a full-time cartoonist, and in 1996 he published his first book, The Dilbert Principle. In 1997, Adams was awarded the National Cartoonists Society‘s Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist and Best Newspaper Comic Strip."

Interestingly enough, Adams reflected on his earlier ideas of becoming a cartoonist before his time at Pacific Bell and Crocker National Bank. In a Reddit Ask Me Anything, he wrote that "when I was in junior high school we were supposed to reach out to someone that did something that we were interested in doing as a career when we were older. At the time I thought that I wanted to be a cartoonist and, at the time, you listed your email address alongside your comic. I had planned for a whole week to email you but never worked up the courage to do so and did my report on something else." Coincidentally, Adams ended up becoming a cartoonist, even if his middle-school self didn't know it.

Dilbert later went on to be adapted as a television series due to the overwhelming success of the comic strip. The two-season show was later nominated for Primetime Emmys in 1999, and Adams served as an executive producer on the animated adaptation's creative team. Dilbert has been hailed as "the ultimate workplace comic" and has still kept itself somewhat afloat in today's entertainment landscape.

Dilbert comics can be read in print, and the animated show is streaming on Netflix.