John David McAfee, antivirus pioneer and the founder of McAfee antivirus software died at the age of 75 years old.
He was declared dead by authorities after he committed suicide by hanging in a Barcelona jail cell Wednesday.
McAfee was found dead merely hours after a Spanish court authorized his deportation to the U.S. to face charges for neglecting to file taxes from 2014-2018.
A larger-than-life figure whose offensive statements and shenanigans motivated several TV and film ventures, McAfee, in his later life, was buoyed by his security software fortune and his early investments in cryptocurrency. He became an international traveler, living in numerous countries and exploring the world on a yacht while dodging numerous law authorities in the U.S., Central America, and the Caribbean.
McAfee’s body was allegedly found at the Brians 2 penitentiary in northeastern Spain, where attempts to revive him failed.
“A judicial delegation came to investigate the causes of death,” the report from the Catalan government asserted; adding that “everything points to death by suicide.”
McAfee was caught last October at Barcelona’s international airport and held since then while awaiting deportation proceedings. He had been charged that month in Tennessee with tax evasion for neglecting to report income.
Authorities claimed McAfee made millions from promoting cryptocurrencies, consulting work, speaking engagements, and selling the rights to his life story for a documentary film but did not file U.S. returns. The criminal charges carried a possible prison sentence of up to 30 years.
McAfee’s Life Story
Hollywood has long been intrigued by McAfee’s life story. Movie plans involving Michael Keaton, Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karazewski, Warner Bros., Spike TV. More were all in progress at one time or another.
The only one that made it to public view so far is Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee, a Showtime Networks documentary from 2016.
After selling his self-named antivirus software company for $7.68 billion in 2011 to Intel (which quickly moved to disassociate itself with him, even though he had stopped being active in 1994); McAfee was observed as something of an oracle in the tech world. McAfee was in constant demand as a speaker, unafraid to throw bombs and make outrageous statements.
He had a short-lived notion of running for U.S. president in 2020 as part of the Libertarian Party. McAfee infamously vowed to consume his penis on live television if the price of bitcoin did not reach $1 million by the end of 2020. He later claimed that he was only trying to onboard new investors into the cryptocurrency.
After he left the McAfee firm, the entrepreneur involved in the company Tribal Voice, QuorumEx, and Future Tense Central. McAfee was part of the leadership for Everykey MGT Capital Investments and Luxcore, among others.
McAfee also dabbled in smartphone apps, yoga, and herbal antibiotics. He lived in Belize for several years but had to leave the country after being investigated for his alleged involvement in a murder; for which he was never charged.
McAfee also was active on social media and was arrested in July 2019 in the Dominican Republic. This was after he and five others were allegedly caught traveling on a yacht carrying high-caliber weapons, ammunition, and military-style gear.
Extradition To The US
McAfee argued that this week’s attempt to extradite him to the U.S. was politically motivated; he would be imprisoned for what amounted to a life sentence if returned. His case was open for appeal and also required the Spanish Cabinet to approve of it.
Born 1945 in England’s Gloucestershire. McAfee he started McAfee Associates in 1987 by infecting his computer with a virus and writing a program to eliminate it. Thus was born one of the major security software inventions of that era.
McAfee widowed a wife, Janice Dyson McAfee. His last social media post was a retwitt of a Father’s Day message from her.
“These eight months John has spent in prison in Spain have been especially hard on his overall health both mentally and physically, as well as financially, but he is undeterred from continuing to speak truth to power,” Janice stated.
Related article that you may have missed:
John McAfee will not commit Suicide; His Tweet says
📣 Cryptonetwork.News is now on Telegram. Please click [here] to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, and Cryptomining headlines.
No Comment