A Nerd Writes About Color Symbolism In Death

In my opinion:

White is the color of death.
Not black. Not red. White.

White symbolizes absence. The absence of color, warmth, and vitality. It’s the color of pale, lifeless skin, the coldness of bone. It’s the blankness after a life has ended. In that sense, white isn’t peace- it’s emptiness. 

Pink, on the other hand, is the color of life.
We’re born into pink: soft gums, flushed cheeks, flesh. When death comes, pink fades. It’s one of the first signs—blood no longer flowing, color draining from the skin and gums. Life leaves, and pink goes with it.

Red is not the color of death.
It’s often mistaken as such because of its association with blood and violence. But death doesn’t always involve red. Many ways of dying—hypothermia, drowning, overdose, old age—don’t involve blood at all. Red is more about extremes: rage, passion, trauma. It's emotion, not extinction.

Black symbolizes death—but only to the dying.
For the person facing death, black may be the closest symbol to what they feel: the encroaching void, the unknown, the silence. But black is internal. It's the personal experience of fading out, of losing light. It's not the death itself; it’s the descent.

White symbolizes death – It's associated with lifelessness: pale skin, exposed bones, coldness, and emptiness. It represents the absence of color and vitality, a blank slate.

Pink symbolizes life – The natural pinkness of skin, gums, and flesh fades in death, marking the loss of life.

Red is not the color of death – While it may appear in violent deaths (like stabbing), it’s not universal. Blood doesn’t always signify death (e.g., in hypothermia or strangulation), so it’s more linked to violence or emotion than death itself.

Black symbolizes death only for the dying – It represents the personal experience of death as darkness or nothingness.