that's a really good question! it is a very specific way of dying, especially in rituals - his is a pretty elaborate death scene compared to what the other characters get. if there's an interview out there where he revisits his experience with pale horse and/or talks specifically about his rituals death scene i haven't found it yet, but it's believable to me that they'd be related. he was clearly determined to keep trying for success, whatever the context; originally he was going to play the role of harry but (depending on the sources i've read) investors wanted a bigger name for the lead/he was persuaded he'd be better as mitzi, so i could see this being something where he decided that if he was going to be typecast into another a big death scene he'd make the most out of it, haha.