If you dreamed of the death of a loved one who is seriously ill or advanced in years, your unconscious may have been preparing you for their future departure from your life. By exposing you in the dream to emotions that will overwhelm you, your shock may be lessened and thus easier to bear.
Dreams such as this one may also be urging you to tell loved ones how much they mean to you before it is too late. If, in your dream, you felt no emotion at all when a loved one died, the interpretation is likely to be different, as it represents something in your life that is coming to an end or that should end. An alternative explanation is that you fear the death of your relationship, particularly if your partner has withdrawn emotionally from you in the waking world. A dream in which you became a widow or widower or suffer bereavement can indicate feelings of loneliness in waking life.
If you are in a relationship, such a dream may suggest that there is a lack of understanding or a communication breakdown between you and your partner. For dreams of a dead person see GHOSTS. [1]