WDYMBAMWDIM? (what do you mean by asking me what do I mean?)
i think because Luke is a beast. and because the lightning was stronger because it was in direct contact. but still good question.
QFT. This is always how I saw it as well.
I always thought Vader was scared of heights.
It appears that as you become more accustomed to the dark side not only does your appearance change but your body becomes more frail and less agile. Vader’s days of force jumping were long over and with the extra weight of the suit he had become paranoid of slipping in. If one of the Storm Janitors had left a bit of water while polishing up that floor they all would have been done for.
So, when Vader threw the Emperor over the edge and saw how deep it is his heart gave out. Not only from the fear but from the love he finally found for his son. Everyone, 1, 2, 3, awwwwwwwwwww!
Heartbreak (in terms of real human emotion) wouldn’t be so bad if it could just kill you. The real kicker is that you live with the pain. So any fictional characters dying of broken hearts is just weak writing. I’m talking to you, George Lucas.
The only exception was that terrible story from FL a few years ago with the school bus that got hit by a drunk truck driver and consequently plowed over a car full of kids who just got off the bus. When an elderly man heard that all of his grandchildren had been killed in this bus accident he went into cardiac arrest and I think also died. That kind of dying of broken heart is acceptablly feasible in a plot, though tragic.
My take was always that the suit and his body were so damaged that he was going to die no matter what, because there was no longer an emperor to haul him back to a hyperbaric chamber and heal him while fixing his suit. Given the choice between a long, slow death or a quick one with the chance to look his son in the eyes, Vader chose option b. This sped his death because of the oxygen problem mentioned by RMHPH.
That is beautiful, GR. Just lovely.
Scared of heights? Of heights??? In the empire where safety rails are a thing of the distant past?
Sure, afraid of heights. Fear leads to… yada yada yada… the Dark Side.
Yes, now he is in the suit his vision is limited by his HUD. Without safety rails and drop offs around every corner, death is always immanent.
It would be kind of appropriate for him to die in the similar way that Padme did. Even though we had the discussion about this before, it works best in my mind that she died because she received a full on dark force choke from Anakin. I figure despite not actually choking to death, given his rage that could result in the equivalent of a wasting disease. Using a mix-mash of the above answers maybe giving up the Dark Side combined with force lightening, a whoopass from Luke, the surge of Dark Side energy from the Emperor just killed him?
Eh, maybe he just had a coronary…
My thoughts exactly.
OSHA is my Anti-Sith
My 5-year old just made it thru Jedi for the first time. When Vader dies, she says, “Did he die?”
Me: “Yes.”
Her: “Why did he die?”
Me: “That’s a very good question.”
To bring balance to the force. You forget the prophecy. Now try explaining that to your 5 year old. 
New theory,
Going off the theory that Vader was a high tech bubbleboy, as soon as the helmet was taken off his body was under attach by viruses. His immune system was so weakened by living on machine assistance for so many years that the poor Midichloreans couldn’t fight against the viruses. Since the Midichloreans create a symbiosis, Vader couldn’t live without them. Rock solid huh? :rolleyes:
