Jason Arday, a former professor at the University of Cambridge who was recently embroiled in a plagiarism controversy, has died. Emergency services discovered a man unresponsive at a London address on Friday afternoon. Arday, 41, had resigned from his position as a professor of sociology of education at Cambridge the previous week amid allegations of plagiarism and questions surrounding some of his academic achievements, which he had denied.

His family stated that a "campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason." Metropolitan Police confirmed a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, with his death being treated as unexpected but not suspicious. Cambridge University vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice expressed deep sadness and offered condolences to Arday's family and friends.

Arday had acknowledged errors in his work but denied plagiarism, attributing some early academic issues to his autism. The controversy gained traction after academic Nathan Cofnas raised plagiarism concerns. Questions were also raised about Arday's claims of completing multiple marathons and significant charity fundraising efforts. Arday's appointment in 2023 as Cambridge's youngest black professor was initially seen as a progressive milestone.