Scott Adams, the satirical mind behind Dilbert, the famous office-satire cartoon character, has died at age 68 after his battle with metastatic prostate cancer. He died yesterday, on January 13, and we got a farewell that was as earnest, quirky, and human as the office cubicle dweller he made famous.

Adams’ last message to us began with “If you are reading this, things did not go well for me.” And at the end of the message he said, “I had an amazing life. I gave it everything I had. If you got any benefits from my work, I’m asking you to pay it forward as best you can. That is the legacy I want.”

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In a livestream announcement on his show Real Coffee with Scott Adams, his ex-wife and caregiver Shelly Miles tearfully shared the final message he wrote shortly before his death, urging us all to be useful and signing off with “I loved you all to the very end.”

For decades, the comic character he created, Dilbert – bespectacled, tie askew, forever befuddled in the cubicle maze – held up a mirror to every one of us who ever asked “Why is there a meeting about this meeting?” And many of us could relate to his crazy pointy-haired boss as well.

The Dilbert comic offered laughs, solace, and a shared wink about corporate absurdity. It appeared in thousands of papers worldwide and spawned books, merchandise, and even a short animated series.

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It wasn’t all laughs though: Adams’ later years were marked by controversy and criticism over statements he made that led many publications to drop his strip from syndication. Still, fans stuck with him and they were able to read “Dilbert Reborn” on the Locals platform. They could also listen to him through his videos on his Rumble site. He would not be silenced and we were all the better for it.

Here’s to Scott – the guy who turned cubicle misery into a shared joke and reminded us that even under buzzing fluorescent lights, humor could be a lifeline. With Adams’ passing, Dilbert punches out too. The cubicle sits empty, and the office feels a little quieter.