Death/Legends

"All things die, Anakin Skywalker. Even stars burn out."

- Anakin Skywalker's subconscious

Death was the cessation of life functions in a biological organism, permanently rendering it unresponsive to any external factors. The term "death" was also sometimes applied to droids damaged beyond repair.

Causes of Death
In most cases, death was caused by the organisms major body parts simply 'breaking down' from age and constant use. However it can be caused by irreparable damage to the major organs, such as them being ruptured, sliced or similarly damaged. Death can also be caused by the loss of bodily fluids, as they are required to ferry certain nutrients required for life, in most cases oxygen gas. Suffocation can also bring about death, as it cuts off the source of the required gas.

However, in extreme cases, death could simply be caused by the organism 'losing the will to live', in which case the bodily systems will for unknown reasons voluntarily shut down.

Death and culture
Tending to the dead constituted a significant part of culture. In many cultures, the dead were buried under the ground during a funeral ceremony, attended by friends, relatives, and others who wanted to show their respect for the dead person and mourn their loss.

The attendance of funerals varied depending on the social status and notoriety of the dead person. In 22 BBY, the funeral of Shmi Skywalker Lars, a former slave and later a moisture farmer's wife on Tatooine, was attended by a handful of friends and relatives: her premarital son Anakin Skywalker, her later husband Cliegg Lars, his son (from Cliegg's earlier marriage) Owen Lars, as well as Beru Whitesun, Padmé Amidala, and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. On the other hand, when Padmé Amidala, former Queen and Senator of Naboo, died in 19 BBY, her funeral was attended by an enormous procession of mourners, including Queen Apailana of Naboo, Boss Rugor Nass of the Gungans, and Representative Jar Jar Binks, her successor as Senator of Naboo; furthermore, the day of Amidala's death was deemed a national day of mourning in the Galactic Empire by Emperor Palpatine, himself a Naboo.

The Rebel Alliance honored their deceased officers with a space burial, where the coffin was released from a cruiser into the vacuum of space. These funerals were usually attended by many other Alliance personnel who served with the deceased being.

Some cultures, such as the ancient Sith of Korriban, had a tradition to honor their deceased leaders by putting them to rest in spacious, well-decorated tombs or crypts, along with objects that were dear to them when they were alive, or could potentially aid them in afterlife, if such a belief existed in the culture.

In Yuuzhan Vong society, death was accepted. They believed the manner in which you died was the most important. Those who died an honorable death in battle would bring pride to their Domain, but those beings who died shamefully would bring dishonor.

Death and the Force
"There is no death; there is the Force."

- The Jedi Code

While all beings possessed, to some degree, a natural fear of death, as an undesirable and inevitable yet permanent condition, the Jedi, guided by the Jedi Code, learned to view death not as a tragedy, but merely as a part of the life cycle. The Jedi, viewing themselves as servants of the Force, were always ready to sacrifice their lives if necessary

Some Force users were able to survive in spirit form after their physical body died and interact with living beings, as well as other dead Force users. This phenomenon mostly manifested itself in the form of Force ghosts. Notably, two Sith Lords tried to "cheat death" in their own ways: Darth Andeddu, as a spirit, used the Force to retain control over his physically dead and decaying body, while Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, used a supply of clone bodies, so he could possess a new body after the previous one died.