Anthony Horton, 43, died Sunday from a fire that broke out in a room in a subway tunnel on the F-line just north of 63rd Street and Lexington Avenue. The victim was obviously homeless, but he was no ordinary destitute. This man had been among the least faceless compared to other homeless people in the subway due to the graphic novel he co-wrote titled “Pitch Black.”

Horton was well-known by many who befriended him aboveground who attempted to lead him and according to his friends, he was very loving, enthusiastic, full of life and energy and would often improvised songs inspired by the 1970s tunes of Luther Vandross. He was known to urban book vendors near Hunter College, law enforcement authorities (Horton had at least 17 arrests and convictions before 2008), and even in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., where he spent part of his childhood in a foster home after his parents abandoned him.

Horton was born in New York City and migrated from foster home to foster home and soon he migrated to the subway’s tunnels and learned from other homeless people how to build a home there. A very good friend of his, Jordan Buck, who knew Horton since he was living in Dobbs Ferry, invited him to live in his apartment with his sister. Horton accepted, but after about a year, he still longed for the tunnels and returned underground.

Eventually he met Ms. Landowne when he approached her on a downtown train where they talked about art; he showed her his works that he had done from charcoal and fax machine ink that he retrieved from trash bins. Horton even spoke about his teachings of art and gymnastics for homeless people at Jan Hus Presbyterian Church on the Upper East Side. After Ms. Landowne agreed to collaborate with Horton on the book, he gave her a tour of his tunnel homes that consisted of a futon, bookshelves and artwork. Some of his artwork had also been hidden throughout the subway, since they were getting lost or stolen.

The book was based on his life underground. Horton was at peace and found solace in the darkness of those tunnels, which he used as the subject of his paintings, and the muse for his graphic novel. “…he set up these rooms for himself and he definitely felt pride and a sense of ownership. There was something magical and mystical down there,” Mr. Buck said.

His novel stated a dozen or so rules of thumb, including:

Always carry a light.

Anything you need can be found in the garbage.

Always have more than one spot.

And, always have a way out that is different from the way in.