Taral Wayne (1951-2024)

SF artist and editor Taral Wayne, 72, died at home on July 31, 2024.

Wayne MacDonald was born October 12, 1951 in Toronto, Canada. He took the pen name Taral from an invented language, Siroihin, introduced in one of his fanzines. He joined the Ontario Science Fiction Club in 1971, contributing works of art and writing to fanzines and semiprozines, and publishing his own journals, including Delta Psi, New Toy, Red Shift, Synapse, and more. Some of his ‘zine work was collected in Old Toys: A Taralable Collection (2002) and The Great White Zine (2012).

He began producing professional illustrations in the late ’80s, switching focus to comic books in the 1990s, including the series Tales of Beatrix, co-created by writer Steve Gallacci. He also did cover illustrations, including for Rudy Rucker’s Spaceland (2002), and worked on TV projects, album art, t-shirt designs, and more. His primary work was in the form of private commissions, with more than 3,000 pieces created over the course of his career.

Taral was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist 11 times (from 1987–1990; in 2000 and 2001; and from 2008–2011). He was fan guest of honor at the Montreal Worldcon in 2009. He won the Rotsler Award in 2008 for his contributions to fandom.

Wayne suffered a stroke in 2017.

For more, see his entry in Fancyclopedia.