Jason Arday was found "unresponsive" at an address in Battersea in London on Friday afternoon.
The 41-year-old, who became Cambridge's youngest black professor in 2023, resigned as a professor of sociology of education last week.
His family told of their "shock" following his death and said he had faced a "campaign of misinformation".
It followed reports alleging he plagiarised his PhD thesis while at Liverpool John Moores University.
Other claims also came under scrutiny, including that he ran 600 miles in six days, and raised millions for charity.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.
"At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious."
According to a Cambridge biography, Dr Arday was diagnosed with a form of autism that meant he couldn't speak until 11, or read and write until he was 18.
But some who said they attended school with him questioned those claims, telling media he was often quiet but not mute.
His supporters, meanwhile, said the intense scrutiny he was under was linked to racism.
Dr Arday's family said they are "in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son".
"The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone," they added.
Professor Deborah Prentice, vice chancellor at the University of Cambridge said: "We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news. Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."
In Dr Arday's resignation letter, he told colleagues: "While criticism is an inevitable part of academic life, what I have experienced has gone far beyond scholarly disagreement.
"The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love."
He said his resignation shouldn't "be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me".
Dr Arday's friend, barrister Jolyon Maugham, told Sky News he had been speaking to Dr Arday nearly every day. He said he had tried to reassure him after the academic said he thought his life was over.
Mr Maugham criticised the intense media coverage and questioned whether there was a legitimate public interest in the case - especially after Dr Arday resigned.
Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy told Sky News that Dr Arday had been the victim of a media "witch hunt" before his death and "people jumped on the bandwagon".
London mayor Sadiq Khan wrote on X: "(Jason Arday) faced an unacceptable public hounding and campaign of abuse.
"I know many Londoners will be angry and upset this evening. Jason Arday was the victim of a pernicious public shaming that other people in his position simply wouldn't have faced."
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The Daily Telegraph reported last month that Dr Arday's thesis contained "more than 100 passages that are identical or nearly identical to a 2009 PhD thesis" by a Brunel University student - although it said he credited the student 17 times.
Liverpool John Moores University previously said it conducted a "confidential procedure" after being notified about the plagiarism claims in September and that his PhD "still stands".
The University of Cambridge initially said he was the target of a "vile" smear campaign but this week announced an independent investigation into his appointment.
Dr Arday's memoir, Great And Unfortunate Things, is due to be published on 27 August, but the publisher faced calls to postpone its release. Last week, he cancelled promotional events for it.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed can call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
Flooding in the central terminal area means anyone travelling to or from either of these terminals must not travel by road.
Passengers are now being strongly urged to use rail and underground services instead.
Those who must travel by car are urged to use Park and Ride, head to Terminals 4 or 5 and take free rail services from there, or change at local rail stations.
"Our teams are working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, we apologise for any disruption caused," the airport added.
It comes during the school summer holidays, which mark the busiest period of the year for Heathrow and airports widely.
On 19 July, Heathrow saw 267,000 passengers travel through its terminals, making it the busiest day of the year so far.
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It also comes after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced it has permitted Heathrow Airport to recoup £320 million spent on its proposal to build a third runway since the start of last year.
Last November, the government supported a £33bn proposal for a third runway, which Heathrow said will be 100% privately financed, through higher airline costs, and no taxpayer money will be used to build the runway or the associated infrastructure.
The CAA's decision means that Heathrow will recover the money through higher airline charges - typically passed on to passengers in air fares, for about 20-25 years.
It added that said its decision will increase the maximum airport charge per passenger by about 15p in 2028, rising to an estimated 30p in subsequent years.
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It comes after two US military news outlets, Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, reported suicide attempts and declining morale on the 5,000-strong aircraft carrier, which has been at sea since November 2025 and has been in the Middle East since January, supporting the war in Iran.
Speaking to reporters before an event in New York, the US president dismissed concerns family members have raised about the deployment's length, which has surpassed 240 days.
Mr Trump followed up by saying the deployment is "not nearly long enough" when asked if it was excessive.
"That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it's being replaced with another very similar ship," he said.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the aircraft carrier "will return home soon" in a social media post.
Later at the event, Mr Trump acknowledged he's used the military "a little bit more than I wanted to", while reassuring the crowd that the war is going well.
He also mentioned, seemingly in jest, that he'll be declaring the embattled Strait of Hormuz a "territory of the United States".
The extended deployments of carriers during the war have raised concerns about the impact on service members away from home for long periods, as well as the increasing strain on the ships and their equipment.
Naval deployments are typically between six and nine months, but can be extended in times of conflict.
Democratic lawmakers have called for a Pentagon briefing regarding the conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which defence secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed as "completely misrepresented".
Representative Jason Crow criticised the president's comments, saying: "President Trump does not care about our service members or their families."
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Senator Richard Blumenthal has written to Mr Hegseth and Mr Cao over reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, mental health issues, deck safety concerns, and disruptions in the Navy's mail system.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have also requested a classified briefing on the ship's food inventory, sanitation issues and healthcare availability, as well as an assessment of how much longer it would be deployed before relief arrives.
The Republican chairmen of the House and Senate armed services committees are yet to comment on the situation.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers currently deployed in the Middle East, and is expected to be replaced by the USS George Washington, which left port in Vietnam last week.
The US Navy says it has "not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship", after reports emerged that sailors on the carrier are struggling with mental health.
Officials declined to provide data, citing operational security and patient privacy concerns.
A navy official said a sailor on the USS Abraham Lincoln went overboard earlier this month, but was quickly recovered, treated by the ship's medical department and transferred off ship for follow-on care.
The official would not say if the incident was being considered a suicide attempt.
US Central Command, which is overseeing military operations in the Middle East, has also pushed back on reports about the conditions onboard the carrier.
Audio of the incident posted on ATC.com revealed how the air traffic controller ensured the planes, both called American 2482, were kept apart as one arrived from Chicago shortly after the other had departed from Phoenix.
In the audio, the controller quickly began referring to the arriving plane as "American 2482 on the arrival" and the departing one as "American 2482 on the departure" to keep them straight and tell them apart.
He kept the arriving plane safely above the departing one, even as their flight paths converged, and made sure the pilots of both planes saw each other when they were miles apart.
The controller also directed the departing plane not to climb too high to keep a gap with the arriving one.
"I've been working air traffic for 25 years. I've never seen two aircraft pretty much merge with the same call sign. That's pretty incredible," he said after the departing plane had safely cleared the area.
The arriving pilot also complimented the controller's "nice work" once the two planes had passed each other safely.
"It could have been disastrous, but I'm glad it worked out," the controller replied.
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US aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said it's likely someone inside the airline's dispatch centre failed to catch that both planes would be in the air at the same time with identical flight numbers.
"You can drop the ball, and that shouldn't happen, but it's nice to see that the system is resilient and we have all the safeguards," said Arroyo.
American Airlines Flight 2482 is a round-trip route that often flies between Chicago and Phoenix.
The same plane typically goes back and forth between the two cities, but the flight out of Chicago was delayed by weather, so American Airlines found a second plane in Phoenix, which left on time.
As a result, both planes briefly shared the same airspace before the arriving flight landed.
The incident will be investigated by both American Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration, both of whom emphasised their relief that everyone remained safe.
American Airlines was also quick to praise the controller's efforts.
"The diligence and professionalism of air traffic controllers and our pilots ensured required separation was always maintained and the issue was identified and addressed. Both flights continued safely and without incident," the airline said in a statement.