Zachary Lee Crain

1974 - 2024

Crain, Zachary Lee

June 13, 1974 - July 16, 2024

Zachary Crain, an award-winning journalist who was admired by many of the same people he intimidated in literary circles, passed away on July 16, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. It came as a shock to all who knew him, as Zac was an avid walker and, as a man of 50, inspired jealousy among his peers when he wore tight t-shirts, which was often. Covid appears to have played a role in his death.

Zac grew up in West, Texas, where he shouldered the double burden of having a father who was the school district's superintendent and playing high school basketball without being able to jump. (At the latter, Zac considered himself the ultimate "glue guy.") After college at UT, he landed his first job in journalism at the Grapevine Sun. From there, he jumped to the Dallas Observer, where he was best known as a music critic with a discerning ear for talent and frauds. His insightful criticism and sharp wit led him to freelance work nationwide (Spin, Esquire, Rolling Stone, et al.) and the publication of his first book, Black Tooth Grin, a biography of the rock group Pantera.

Late in his tenure at the Observer, Zac transitioned to staff writer, where he honed a magazine-journalism style aptly described by an awards judge as "a master profiler." Although Zac wrote about many subjects with lean prose, his profiles would largely define his work for nearly two decades, first at American Way magazine, then for the past 17 years at D Magazine. Readers came to know his subjectsErykah Badu, Troy Aikman, Charley Pride, scores of otherswith uncommon intimacy. He also published two more books: A Pedestrian's Recent History of Dallas, a photography book; and I See You Big German, an ostensible tribute to Dirk Nowitzki that is really about Zac's relationship with his son, Isaac.

More important than his employment and publications was Isaac. Zac saw fatherhood as his key role. ("I'm not a dad," he would say. "I'm a father.") He loved his son and proudly detailed Isaac's accomplishments to coworkers, who were oftentimes stunned to hear Zac, an introvert, talk so much. And let it be remembered that Zac coached Isaac to a Y-league basketball championship (an accomplishment that Zac probably cherished far more than any journalism award he won).

Zachary Crain was preceded in death by his father, Jack Crain. He is survived by his son, Isaac; mother, Susan Crain, of Waco; brother Scott Crain of Boston, Massachusetts, with wife Jennifer, son Jonah and daughter Charlotte; sister Samantha St. John and husband Jeff, of Atlanta, with daughter Violet; and best friend and confidante, Josh Venable, of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

There will be a celebration of Zac's life on Saturday, August 24, from 2-4 p.m. at The Texas Theatre located at 231 W. Jefferson Blvd, Dallas.