Update: Eimi has added a link to the Independent obituary in comment #43.
A message from Mike Hutchinson (Eimi), the Independent’s crossword editor:
It is with great sadness that I have to pass on the news that the great Dac is no longer with us. He lost his battle with cancer at the weekend. I’m sure many people will have noticed that he hasn’t appeared in the Indy for the last two months, but he had asked me not to mention his illness here.
As the Independent is on the verge of celebrating its 10,000th daily puzzle, I have to say that Dave Crossland provided 653 of the best of them. He was a masterful cluesmith and his fun personality shone through his puzzles.
I only met him once, but corresponded regularly about more than just crosswords over the past 12 years. He was also very supportive and encouraging to me when I took the reins at the Indy. He was a truly great setter and a very lovely man. He will be much missed.
Eimi
Yes, we shall miss him. I think a lot of people heard about his illness after his regular Wednesday appearances became less frequent, yet the news of his passing still comes as a shock. But perhaps we shall still be able to savour his cruciverbalism through occasional reprints in the i.
oh no. words fail me. I certainly enjoyed his more recent puzzles, not realising there were so many altogether. Very sad news, thanks for sharing it Eimi. RIP Dac.
This is such sad news. His crosswords were always crafted so beautifully, and I loved them.
Very sad news. Though I never met him, we were in touch from time to time. Puzzles always scrupulously fair and enjoyable with excellent surface readings. A Wednesday fixture in the Indy: ironic we should hear this with, as Mike mentions, their 10 000th puzzle due tomorrow (also a Wednesday). RIP.
RIP Dac. John told me about his death a little while ago, and I remarked that I had only just noticed his name and address on a database I now keep. He lived quite near us, and we never got to meet up for a local drink. I wish we had made more of an effort. Sad news.
Dave and I go back a long way — to the 1970s. With Mike Laws and Eric Chalkley (Apex) we were the original contributors to the Hamlyn Books of Crosswords commissioned by Gyles Brandreth. GB sent my proposal for a book about crosswords without my name on it to Dave, who forwarded it to me, thinking it might be my sort of thing. I didn’t get back to Brandreth but approached Chambers of course.
A lovely man to meet and a beautiful cluesmith with a classical style –sound clues, sensible surface meanings, and all good clean fun. As a modern language teacher (unusual for a modern crossword setter) he had a deep appreciation of language. Though I first met him as The Listener’s Smokey, I shall remember him more recently as The Indy’s brilliant Dac.
After your long illness rest in peace, Dave.
Don
So sad. Spent many happy mornings doing the Dac on my way to work. The beautiful surfaces he produced were a joy. Pity he’s not able to provide number 10,000.
Sorry to hear this. A fine setter and I can only echo what others have said about the smoothness of his surfaces.
Terribly sad news, Dac was one of the best. Wednesdays will never be the same.
That’s very sad news. Though I only recently started doing Indy puzzles regularly, I soon realised that his were always a delight. A loss for us all.
So very sad. Dac set the standard for beautifully crafted clues – always fair, always fun, always of the highest quality.
Thank you for letting us know Eimi, do pass on the collective condolences of our community to his family.
Such sad news. There may be more challenging setters but none who seemed to have written the clues so easily and simply as if straight out of his head.
What terribly sad news. The effortless elegance of Dac’s crosswords were always a treat. My condolences to his family.
A much-admired setter whose puzzles were absolutely top-drawer stuff. Very sad news indeed.
So very, very sad. My brother will no longer be able to call and announce “it’s Dac today” so I could download one of his always thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying puzzles.
He will be sorely missed.
I’m very sorry to hear that news. I think it was mentioned on the Indy thread a while ago now that he had been ill. When I got back into cryptics the Independent was my paper and I started doing the daily puzzle there. Dac was always one I looked forward because he always wrote clear but concise clues which if you put your thinking hat on led you to the solution.
As Maize says, eimi, please pass on our collective condolences if you are able to.
Brilliant compiler and an extremely nice man. I was fortunate enough to meet him on a couple of occasions.
RIP Dac, thank you for so many truly excellent puzzles.
I am extremely conscious of sitting in the Wednesday spot this week. I cut my cruciverbal teeth on Dac in the Hamlyn series and in a couple of diaries (one puzzle a week), so this is another of the pantheon to go. Condolences to his family.
Such sad news. Eimi once asked me who my favourite Indy setter was. I said Dac. A model for any aspiring setter, and an absolute joy for the solver.
Very sad news. My condolences to his friends and family.
Very sad indeed. It was Dac’s beautifully constructed clues that encouraged me to persevere in crypticland and slowly gain confidence in solving the more obscure ones.
RIP Dac. I have enjoyed many puzzles by this much loved man.
Very sad news. Dac’s puzzles were always an absolute joy. His clues read effortlessly like sentences that could have been lifted directly from any – and every – other part of the paper, and the level of consistency was outstanding. He’ll be much missed.
Appropriately, today’s Indy reprint in the i is by Dac (from 2014) and the blog on the idothei website also notes that today’s Times crossword is by Dac. So we can still savour his supreme artistry as a cluesmith despite our sadness.
Very sad news. Richard Rogan tweeted the news today and confirmed that today’s Times Crossword was by David.
I echo everything said above about this master cluesmith. Favourite clues by Dac? Here’s mine: “Admitting love, His Majesty King Edward becomes husband of Mrs Simpson (5)” – lovely!
Very sad. What is there to add? Both as Dac and as Smokey he was one of my favourite setters.
Huge loss. Condolences to his family.
Very sad loss. As newmarketsausage says, a model for any aspiring setter and I particularly liked the understated sense of humour in his clues. Condolences to his family.
Sad news indeed. Condolences to all who were close to him.
As Gila says above,”His clues read effortlessly like sentences that could have been lifted directly from any – and every – other part of the paper”. And they were always utterly sound. Almost Mozartian: when you read his clues you said “I could do that”; but no. What a brilliant setter, and what a sad loss. He deserves to be remembered with the greats of the crossword-setting world.
What sad news. We would like to pass on our condolences to Dac’s family. It was always a pleasure blogging one of his puzzles – such precise clueing in each one. We have missed his regulat Wednesday offerings.
I’m very sorry to hear this. One of those setters who rarely divides opinion, his surfaces so elegant.
Just a couple of weeks ago in The Times Quick Cryptic, his clue for ADIOS was: Without love, a day is so long. Isn’t that beautiful?
I was very sad to hear this. It was one of the real pleasures of life to look forward to doing a Dac crossword on getting back from work on a Wednesday evening. He will be greatly missed by me and I’m sure many other solvers.
Sorely missed. Wednesdays won’t be the same. Condolences to friends, colleagues and family, including his extended crossword family.
The funeral will be on Friday 16 November at York crematorium, at 11.40, followed by refreshments at Middlethorpe Hall. Email me at eimi.indy@gmail.com for his daughter’s email address if you plan to attend.
Such sad news. When I started doing the Indy crosswords several years ago he soon became my favourite setter and remained so ever since. My condolences to his friends and family.
Sad news indeed. His puzzles rarely raised many comments as there was absolutely nothing to quibble about. The smoothest of surfaces made Wednesday’s crossword the highlight of the week. Sorely missed.
Such sad news. Condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed.
One always knew that Wednesday in the Indy would be a Dac, consistently coruscating, witty and precise. God bless him for the joy he gave us.
Blorenge – what an apt reminder of his art. Lovely.
Very sorry to hear this. I shall raise a glass in his honour with other like-minded souls later today.
Sad to hear this. Most of the solving i’ve done has been the last two years in the i. Dac was my favourite setter in this time, loved the surfaces. It’s great to hear him described as a nice and funny man too. I’m sure he’ll live on in many respects to his friends and family and in some great harmonic and pithy sentences to the rest of us
The Independent obituary is here: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/david-crossland-dead-the-independent-crossword-setter-cryptic-puzzles-a8618556.html
Repeated in i today
Any chance of a collection of Dave’s Crosswords. I’m an unskilled learner