Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one's mistakes.
Undead necromancer would be a far more pertinent term. 'Dead thing' is what we call those heedless sluggards that cannot seem to control their insurgent hunger.
I saw this little imp thing and he was like, "Ooooh you're colorful are you rainbow?" And, I was like, "No, but, I might be a unicorn!" Then he tried to eat me because he thinks I might taste like Skittles. And blaaargh.