Death is one of the most common themes in the dreamers dictionary and one that is regularly misinterpreted. Most dictionaries recognise that dreaming about death is not usually indicative of a prophecy, rather it tends to point to some sort of change in the dreamers life.
Kinda vague isn't it? Well to get the interpretion you are looking for it is best to look how death has effected you recently. Are you growing ever-conscious about your age? Has there recently been a death in the family? Or have you been watching too many horror movies recently? Remember use these questions only as a guide and come up with your own ones, that way you are more likely to come to YOUR solution.
It is important to examine how you felt in the dream when the dream symbol came. For example if you felt the same type of dread that you normally feel when you spot another wrinkle in the mirror then it's likely to be an unaddressed conscious fear that has been pushed deep into your subconscious.
If you feel completely dissociated from the theme of death in your dream this could indicate that it is only playing a cosmetic role in the experience which is quite common after watching something that involves a lot of death on the TV.
Alternatively the dissociation could be caused by the self-knowledge that you are in good health and because of this death seems quite far away.
If the opposite is true and there is some serious fear in your dream then it might well be worth checking out your lifestyle. Are you eating the right foods? Taking enough exercise? Perhaps your over-indulging in alcohol and other drugs? Keep probing and the answer will eventually come. In most cases there will likely be more than one contributing factors that caused the experience. Once you've found one cause, think of related issues in your life. It is not uncommon for one door to open many other doors!
One of the biggest challenges of tackling the death theme is discarding any fear that you may have of any possible interpretations, as this is one of the biggest causes of memory repression and will ultimately be self defeating. It might be handy to gather the support of friends of family at such a time who could possibly help you over any obstacles that you may encounter during the process.
In the meantime, if you are looking for more on information on death dreams I cannot recommend the sites below enough.
Dreamhawk on Death
Offers multiple interpretations on the meaning of the death theme.
Dreams and Near Death Experiences
A wonderful resource on the possible connections between near death experiences and dreams.
Experience Festival
Experience Festival's page on the implications of a death dream.