What is death
"Dead" and "Dying" redirect here. For the coloring process, see Dyeing . For other uses, see Dead (disambiguation) and Death (disambiguation) . Allegory of death: skeleton holding banderolle "Vigilate quia nescitis diem ...", anon., possibly Dutch or German. Made c.1600 Death is the cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism . Phenomena which commonly bring about death include senescence , predation , malnutrition , disease , suicide , homicide , starvation , dehydration , and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury . In most cases, bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death. Death – particularly the death of humans – has commonly been considered a sad or unpleasant occasion, due to the affection for the being that has died and the termina...