

“Death” would be the noun, “die” the (intransitive) verb. “Dead” would be the adjective, i.e. the condition.
Although it has to be said that there’s a lot of flexibility and I’m pretty sure you could find valid ways to use each of them in all cases.
I do this always. It’s the “I’m not a threat” thing. I prefer the discomfort or personal inconvenience to being seen as a threat or even causing anxiety in that direction. Maybe it makes no difference, that’s fine, maybe they think I’m weird, also fine as long as it has the intended effect of getting across that I am not a threat. It’s worth it for the times it does matter.