A professor retiring early amid outrage over racist, anti-feminist, and anti-mask tweets has been found dead in his home

• Former University of North Carolina Wilmington professor Mike Adams was found dead and alone in his home on Thursday, when New Hanover sheriff's deputies conducted a wellness check.
• The sheriff's office has launched an investigation into Adams' death.
• On July 2, the university announced that Adams would retire early after he made a slew of racist and sexist comments online.
• UNCW Chancellor Jose Sartelli said in a statement online that Adams has faced fierce criticism for his defense of free speech for "over a decade."

A former University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) professor who planned to retire amid outrage over racist, anti-feminist, and anti-mask tweets written by him has been found dead in his home, according to the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office.

A spokesperson for the sheriff's office told CNN that Mike Adams was found dead around 2 p.m. on Thursday, and an investigation into his death has been launched. It's not yet clear how he died.

According to Wilmington Star News, Adams' body was found during a wellness check. No one else was in the home at the time, CNN reported.

On July 2, UNCW Chancellor Jose Sartelli announced that Adams, then a professor of sociology and criminology, would retire early, starting on August 1. Adams was set to receive $504,702.76 in lost salary and retirement benefits as part of his agreement with the school.

Sartelli said that Adams had faced fierce criticism for his defense of free speech for "over a decade."

In May, Adams had called for universities to shut down "non essential majors," using women's studies as an example. Adams, who is white, celebrated eating out at a restaurant amid the coronavirus pandemic while comparing himself to a slave.

"This evening I ate pizza and drank beer with six guys at a six seat table top. I almost felt like a free man who was not living in the slave state of North Carolina. Massa Cooper, let my people go!" he tweeted on May 29, referencing Roy Cooper, North Carolina's governor.

In another tweet, he said: "Not surprising that the party of slavery is now the party of lockdowns. Individual liberty has never been the strong suit of Democrats."

In 2016, he was accused of harassing a Muslim LGBTQ student through social media and social media posts, according to NBC News.

UNCW, which called Adam's recent comments "vile and inexcusable" in a statement to CNN in June, said on its website that it is offering counseling through the University Counseling Center and the Employee Assistance Program following Adams' death.

"It is with sadness that we share the news that the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office is conducting a death investigation involving Dr. Mike Adams, professor of criminology. Please keep his friends and loved ones in your thoughts," the university said.

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