AV mogul John McAfee found dead by hanging in Spanish prison cell

Enlarge / John McAfee on his yacht off the coast of Cuba in 2019. (credit: Adalberto ROQUE / AFP / Getty)

John McAfee—the antivirus tycoon whose eccentric and often illegal antics on yachts and in tropical rain forests came to define him in later years—took his own life in a Spanish prison cell shortly after suffering a major defeat in his fight against extradition to the US. He was 75.

The death was first reported by El Pais and later by Reuters and the New York Times, both of which cited attorneys representing McAfee. Multiple news agencies also reported McAfee’s death.

According to El Pais, Reuters, and the AP, prison personnel found McAfee dead in his cell, by two accounts after he hanged himself. Personnel provided emergency medical services but were unable to save his life.