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Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor who has been embroiled in plagiarism claims, was found dead.
On Friday, August 14, emergency services shared that a man was found "unresponsive" at an address in Battersea, south London.
Jason Arday's plagiarism row
Arday resigned as a Cambridge professor of sociology of education last week after allegations of plagiarism and questions were raised about some of his achievements. He had vehemently denied the claims.
Jason Arday's family breaks silence over his death
In an emotional statement, Arday's family expressed grief over his death, noting that they were "in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son".
They added, "The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone."
Earlier on Friday, police officers were called to an address in Battersea by the London Ambulance Service.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said, "At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious."
The University of Cambridge speaks out after Jason Arday's death
Cambridge University vice-chancellor Prof Deborah Prentice said, "We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news."
"Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time," she said.
Amid intense scrutiny, Arday, the youngest Black professor at Cambridge, denied plagiarism claims but admitted errors in his work.
Last week the 41-year-old shared that the recent controversy about his work had led to "an unrelenting level" of "persona attack".
Who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism?
The row first erupted after another academic, self-defined "race realist" Nathan Cofnas, who was sacked from his Cambridge role in 2024, said he found numerous instances of plagiarism in the professor's work.
Arday said some errors in his early academic work arose because of his autism, as he relied on using mimicry to make sense of information.
He was appointed as Cambridge's youngest ever black professor at the age of 37 in 2023, a moment which was hailed at the time as progressive in the university's history.
Jason Arday resigns from the University of Cambridge
Announcing his resignation last week, Arday said the "personal cost" of the scrutiny of him had become "too great".
He stressed that his resignation should not "be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me".
Cambridge initially said claims of plagiarism regarding Arday's thesis and some journal publications had been investigated by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the journals in question.
LJMU, which awarded Arday his PhD in 2015, concluded that he had not plagiarised work.
Arday originally worked as a PE teacher before earning his doctorate at LJMU and going on to become an associate professor at Durham University and professor of sociology of education at the University of Glasgow.
His memoir, Great And Unfortunate Things, is set to be published in the UK on August 27. It was released in the US earlier this week.
The book tells the story of his life from being non-verbal until the age of 11 and unable to read or write until 18, before he went on to accept the job at Cambridge.
