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Scott Adams Obituary
Adams mined his own life experience to create the comic strip that made him famous, working in white-collar roles at Pacific Bell and other businesses. He began drawing "Dilbert" while still holding down office jobs, drawing the strip in the early mornings and hustling to find a venue to publish it.
"Dilbert" was first syndicated in 1989, and office workers identified with the strip's title character, a white-collar engineer who was micromanaged by his boss. By the mid-1990s, it was a pop culture hit, appearing in hundreds of newspapers and spawning dozens of books, an animated sitcom, a board game, and many other products.
The popularity of "Dilbert" abruptly faltered when, in 2022, Adams made inflammatory statements on his "Real Coffee with Scott Adams" podcast, reacting to a poll in which Black participants were asked to respond to the statement "It's okay to be white." He described Black people as a hate group, a statement that led to the cancellation of "Dilbert" by many newspapers and by the company that syndicated the strip. Adams later defended his words, saying he was being hyperbolic. He relaunched "Dilbert" as "Dilbert Reborn" on his own website.
By Linnea Crowther
(Image: Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
35 Entries
Mr. Jr.
February 19, 2026
My Condolences.
Linda
February 14, 2026
Rest in peace, Scott. Thanks for Dilbert and your podcast on X. I hope you are at peace.
Dennis Seals
February 1, 2026
There´s a hole in my mornings without Scott!
Steve Champagne
February 1, 2026
My wife and I enjoyed "Coffee With Scott Adams" for the better part of a decade.
We've sadly concluded there quite simply is no substitute: thoughtful, honest, fair, open, transparent, unbiased except when explicitly admitting bias, hilarious, creative, un-produced.
We've attempted to follow others who Scott enjoyed or recommended, but they're all tainted by - if not drowning in - sickly egotic personality by comparison.
With Scott you got Scott. With others you get show, pretense, veneer - no matter how talented they are with combining words or delivery.
Although we never met Scott in the traditional sense, we felt as though we were experiencing the real Scott from the very first time we tuned into his "show" (double quotes because that's hardly the right given its dis-ingenuity connotation).
We so miss you, Scott. You were our rock of sanity through COVID, elections, demented news cycles, etc.
Nobody has a lower opinion of humanity than the writer of these words, but you single-handed-ly, regularly gave me reason to reconsider my otherwise across the board dismal view of so mentally ill a species.
Rest in peace, unique exception to the rule!
How you can show support
DE
January 27, 2026
Condolences to Scott´s family and friends during this time of grief and sorrow. May the fond memories of your loved ones always be cherished.
Paul J. Leonard
January 27, 2026
Thank you, Scott! You made me see things in a different and more interesting way - light. Dilbert (and Dogbert) FOREVER!!!!!! May GOD Bless You in HIS KINGDOM!!!!!!!
Patrick Hathaway
January 26, 2026
I miss your wit and wisdom but am the better for having listened to you every day I possibly could. Bless you and thank you.
Garth Wright
January 25, 2026
I learned sooooo much!
Mark Seager
January 25, 2026
I shared my mornings, with coffee ,with Scott for a long time. He was my friend. A friend I never met. And that in itself, shows you just how extraordinary he was.
C. Smith
January 25, 2026
10 years, an hour a day, 7 days a week spent with your wisdom.
Swaddled in a plaid blanket with a warm cup of coffee helped through tougher days of the pandemic.
Thanks for pinning the X post of my God's Debris book review and see you in the afterlife - when the universe's debris reforms back to its original consolidated form.
My best to Shelly, family, and your long list of friends
Wanda Merrill
January 23, 2026
Scott has been a blessing in my life. He has introduced me to new avenues of thought that improved my life. Scott became my "best friend" sharing a cup of coffee every morning. I became better wife, mother, neighbor, American because of his life lessons. The world will miss him, truly.
Rich Sloma
January 21, 2026
Eternal rest, Scott. I first knew you as the author of a great comic strip. Later, I got to know you as a courageous thinker who cared enough about people in our nation to push us to think for ourselves. Our condolences to your family.
Micheal Cross
January 20, 2026
He was my teacher, my mentor, and my internet father
Claude Baines
January 20, 2026
".. by their works, ye shall known them"
Scott´s works has immortalized him, the world is and will be better for it.
Lynn Lawson
January 20, 2026
Our condolences, the world lost a great philosopher and brave teacher. My dad and I watched him everyday. Our lives were made better with his insight and micro lessons. He is one of my heros.
Carson Loveless
January 19, 2026
Condolences to his family
John Huebner
January 19, 2026
Love you Scott you were my best friend that I never met, thank you for the companionship, the knowledge, the wisdom for so many years. I hope God sees you with open arms for all the good you did,
John H
L. Rutkin
January 19, 2026
I'll never forget all the special times we had at Hartwick. Glad to have known you then. RIP Scott
Fred Smith
January 19, 2026
My condolences for the loss of your loved one. May you find comfort and peace from our Heavenly Father.
Howard Tolman
January 19, 2026
I really enjoyed your work. There was so much relevance to the stuff I used to encounter Daily during my 11 years at Bank of America. RIP.
P Thompson
January 18, 2026
Scott was a very important person to me. He gave us inspiration to keep going in life, even when things look bleak. Praying to see him in Heaven one day.
Patricia O Reilly
January 17, 2026
Dilbert was the first comic I read whenever I picked up a newspaper. Lots of wisdom in Coffee with Scott Adams.
Peter Matthews
January 17, 2026
When I was younger, I read Scott Adams´ comic strip Dilbert in middle school and high school -- in the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Times. His comic strip, which made fun of 9-5 office life, made me laugh out loud a lot. I loved the Dilbert TV series starring Daniel Stern as well. That simple daily strip became so much more than just funny drawings on the comics page.
Scott Adams had an uncanny ability to capture the absurdities of corporate existence, the pointless meetings, the soul-crushing bureaucracy, and the managers who somehow rose to power despite having zero clue what was going on. He turned those quiet frustrations into sharp, universal satire that felt like someone finally saying out loud what so many of us were thinking.
Dilbert wasn´t just a comic strip; it was a survival guide for anyone trapped in cubicle hell. Beyond the humor, Scott was a fearless observer of human behavior. Through his books, his blog, his morning talk show, and later his unfiltered takes on persuasion, systems, and reality itself, he challenged conventional thinking at every turn. He was not afraid to speak his mind, even when it cost him dearly in public approval or professional relationships.
That willingness to question everything from workplace nonsense to larger cultural and political narratives made him a rare voice in an era that increasingly rewards rigidity and conformity. Whether you agreed with every word he said or not, you couldn´t deny the originality of his mind or the clarity with which he expressed ideas.
He taught millions how to spot patterns, how to think in terms of incentives, and how a well-crafted argument (or a perfectly timed punchline) can cut through noise like nothing else. His legacy will live on-not just in the endless reruns of Dilbert panels that still get shared in workplace Slack channels, but in the way he encouraged people to see the absurdity around them and laugh anyway, to question authority without apology, and to keep thinking for themselves no matter how uncomfortable the conclusions might be.
Thank you, Scott, for the laughs, the insights, and the courage to keep swinging when the room got quiet. You made the mundane hilarious and the outrageous undeniable.
I extend my condolences to the Adams family and those who knew him.
RIP Scott.
Joann Szuhay
January 17, 2026
R.I.P. Scott. You will be missed
DeAnn Keating
January 16, 2026
RIP Scott. Your efforts made a huge difference for the better in the world.
Richard Ring
January 15, 2026
Scott,
You were a great friend, our weekly conversations at my restaurant Pasta´s Trattoria were great. Enjoyed all our restaurant
Business we worked on together. I will miss all our great debates, rest in peace friend.
Rick Ring
Jan Taylor
January 15, 2026
Thank you Scott for all the love you have been giving which really has all been meant for you.
You changed so many lives, mine included - with your positive wisdom, sense of purpose & usefulness, showing us basic fundamentals of persuasion, reframing and so much more. A Renaissance Man for all the ages, you sharing your light so we can clearly see the best path is invaluable to each of us. You are beloved, and we are all better for having you be such a big part of our lives.
Rest in Heavenly peace now.
May flights of Angels sing thee to Thy rest.
Jan H Taylor
LoverofFreedom
Gerald T Bailey
January 15, 2026
I remember reading Dilbert before a job interview. I got the job. Thanks Scott. Rest well my friend I never met but felt I knew.
Marilyn Rittmeyer
January 14, 2026
Scott Adams, thank you for being straightforward about corporate culture, American culture, and our world today. You took bold stands. May you rest now in God's tender care. You are irreplaceable.
RB
January 14, 2026
Prayers for the Adams family. May God give comfort and strength to you all in your time of loss.
Bill Hamilton
January 14, 2026
Be Useful
Thank you Scott
Jim
January 13, 2026
Worked with Scott at AT&T back in the day. A good man, talented and funny. Not a bad engineer either. God's Speed, Scott.
M Fox
January 13, 2026
Gone to soon.
Scott you will be missed by many.
Walt Fles
January 13, 2026
My favorite Dilbert cartoons:
Kimberly Ann Laux
January 13, 2026
The rest is silence...
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