Question: why did kylo ren die?
Answer: Yeah, it's a bit complicated, but the gist is that Kylo did actually die when Palpatine threw him into the hole. After all, he did smash into a rock on his way down. ... Knowing Kylo was already a goner by then, she uses the last of her Force power to project an image of Kylo so as not to freak Rey out and save her.