Zac Crain, a longtime writer and editor for D Magazine who chronicled the city鈥檚 people, politics and culture, died at his home Tuesday night after a brief illness, . He was 50.
Over 17 years at D Magazine, Crain wrote about everything from to and . (The insect, according to Crain鈥檚 transcript, was indignant upon being accused of having West Nile virus.)
In 2013, Crain explored the aftermath of the fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people and destroyed hundreds of residences in his hometown of West, about an hour south of Dallas.
鈥淯ntil April 17, West was known as more of a glorified rest stop than a town. It was simply Exit 353 off I-35, the place to stop on the way to Dallas or Austin to buy kolaches, the pastries that are the Czech people鈥檚 main contribution to world cuisine,鈥� he wrote in D Magazine. 鈥淭hat narrow biography began to expand during the days following the explosion.鈥�
, Tim Rogers, the magazine鈥檚 editor, called Crain 鈥渁 wildly gifted writer with impeccable taste in music and movies, a history of romantic involvements as colorful as his sneaker collection, and shockingly troublesome teeth for a man who looked as good as he did in a tight t-shirt.鈥�
In his 2020 photography book, , Crain extolled the world that opened up around him by walking around the city during his lunch breaks.
鈥淲hen you drive anywhere, a few inches of steel and glass and a few feet of concrete might be all that separates you from a door or window or an alley or a sign of a man or a woman or cat,鈥� he wrote in the introduction. 鈥淏ut it might as well be on the other side of a river, be buried underground, be hidden behind a mountain, never have existed to begin with.鈥�
Will Evans, founder of Deep Vellum, which published Crain鈥檚 book, had long admired him as a fellow member of the local literary scene. But what caught Evans鈥� eye beyond Crain鈥檚 prose was his Instagram account. 鈥淗e was always posting stories of things in Dallas I鈥檇 never seen,鈥� Evans said.
鈥淭he thought of being a pedestrian in Dallas is so paradoxical,鈥� Evans continued, but Crain leaned into the ostensible clash. The photographs depicted an 鈥渁lmost imaginary鈥� world of Dallas, Evans said.
Deep Vellum also published Crain鈥檚 "I See You Big German" in 2021. That book addresses former Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki in the second person, weaving Crain鈥檚 personal anecdotes, particularly about fatherhood, with Nowitzki鈥檚 life on and off the court.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful snapshot of personal growth, almost like a coming-of-age story,鈥� Evans said.
According to his LinkedIn, Crain joined "D Magazine" in 2007 after a two year editing stint at American Airlines鈥� in-flight magazine. From 1997 to 2005, he worked as a music editor and writer at the "Dallas Observer."
Sarah Hepola, a features staff writer at "The Dallas Morning News," recalled working alongside Crain between 2003 and 2005 at the "Dallas Observer."
鈥淲e were young and often inebriated, we were ambitious and lazy at once. We fought. He could hold a grudge,鈥� Hepola said in an email. 鈥淚t was hard to stay mad at him because he could still make me laugh, even when the joke was at my expense. Everyone who loved him can tell you this: He was just so damn funny.鈥�
The former editor of "The Dallas Morning News," Mike Wilson, had a dog named Story, said Mark Lamster, the newspaper鈥檚 architecture critic. 鈥淓very couple of weeks, Crain would post a story with 100 alternate better names for a dog than Story,鈥� Lamster said. 鈥淭hey were mostly ridiculous and worse names, but really hilarious.鈥�
Crain, Lamster added, was one of the 鈥渃ool kids鈥� of Dallas journalism.
Outside of the world of journalism and literature, Crain began a run for mayor of Dallas in 2006.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 pay attention to local politics for a long time. It always struck me as a volatile situation that didn鈥檛 really affect me 鈥� like two people fighting in the street,鈥� he explained in an " article at the time.
鈥淔rom streets to schools, the city is decaying. No one trusts the people in charge to reverse the decline, and we don鈥檛 have enough cops to protect what we do have. When my kid grows up, I want him to be proud of where he鈥檚 from and safe and happy there.鈥�
Ultimately, he did not collect enough valid signatures to nab a ballot spot.
Crain is survived by his son, Isaac, according to "D Magazine." The magazine said a venue and time for a celebration of life will soon be announced.
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