According to the Spanish international news agency EFE, on Wednesday, John McAfee was found dead in a cell in the center of Barcelona’s Brians 2 prison.
McAfee was born in 1945 and founded the software company McAfee Associates when he was in his early 40s. His company was responsible for one of the most famous anti-virus software programs at the time. In 1994, he resigned from the company and founded the software company Tribal Voice, the company behind one of the earliest instant messaging and chat programs on the Internet, technology company QuorumEx, and security and privacy company Future Tense Central.
In July 2017, McAfee predicted that the price of Bitcoin will reach $500,000 by 2020, making headlines in the crypto field and mainstream media. In November 2017, when the price of Bitcoin looked more bullish, McAfee doubled its Bitcoin price forecast, claiming that Bitcoin will reach $1 million by 2021.
The US government has been seeking to extradite McAfee for failing to file tax returns from 2014 to 2018 and failing to report income related to the promotion of encryption projects and consulting work. In October 2020, the authorities arrested McAfee at Barcelona International Airport and detained him until an extradition decision was made.
McAfee often posted updates through his Twitter account. Initially, he said he was "satisfied" with his situation, and his friends in prison also described his imprisonment. His last message stated that he lost all his crypto assets and many friends.
I can see a small patch of sky above the high concrete wall of the prison yard. In contrast, the walls seem to frame the deep blue sky and the fluffy clouds floating across the sky.
It turns this little window of the sky into a particularly beautiful gem.
— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) May 25, 2021
Earlier Wednesday, a Spanish court ruled that after obtaining the approval of the Spanish Council of Ministers, McAfee may be extradited to the United States, and McAfee’s legal team has the opportunity to appeal the decision. The 75-year-old previously argued that the charges he faces are politically motivated and that if he is extradited, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Cointelegraph expressed regret at the loss of a traditional figure like McAfee, and expressed condolences to his family and friends. McAfee's wife Janice is alive.