Tributes have been paid to Jason Arday, the former Cambridge professor, after he was found dead at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon. They said a "campaign of misinformation" had been too much for him.

Arday, 41, resigned as a Cambridge professor of sociology of education last week after allegations of plagiarism and questions about some of his achievements. He had denied the claims.

The University of Cambridge vice-chancellor Prof Deborah Prentice led the tributes, saying the faculty was "desperately saddened" to learn of his death. " Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan is among those who have said Arday was subjected to unrelenting media scrutiny. He said Arday had faced "an unacceptable public hounding and campaign of abuse", adding that he was a victim of "a pernicious public shaming that other people in his position simply wouldn't have faced"."

Director of the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, Prof Simon Baron-Cohen said he spoke to Arday the morning of his death, and said the academic had felt unable to leave the house." He has experienced what he described as a campaign against him, for the last three years," he told BBC News."

"" The personal attacks on him have been so immense." This isn't to point fingers, and its not a single media outlet, but in the last few weeks since he resigned, I must have received a hundred new requests - to comment on his life."

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Professor of Black Studies Kehinde Andrews, a friend of Arday, described him as "very down" after resigning from Cambridge." He was very upset.

He felt that there was no way out. He effectively wasn't leaving the house.

He had lost a lost of weight," Andrews said." There should be a wakeup call to just how bad black academics actually have it in academia."

Shadow communities secretary Sir James Cleverly said he was angered by the "tragic" death and said "a number of people at a number of academic institutions have serious questions to answer"." The row first erupted after another academic - self-defined "race realist" Nathan Cofnas, who was sacked from his Cambridge role in 2024 - said he found numerous instances of plagiarism in the professor's work.