Don't be afraid to fall asleep.

Death in dreams often refers to the end of something in your life, such as a job, project, a life phase, or whatever. It usually doesn't mean an actual physical death.

Next time you have a dream about someone who is dead, you could try to talk to the dream character and ask him or her what it means. If you don't become lucid in the dream, try re-entering it by laying still and concentrating on the dream characters and what was going on. Ask the dead dream character what they may be trying to tell you.