Faking someone's death is never a good idea for a joke in general. (Even on April Fool's Day; DDR Freak has learned the lesson the hard way several years ago.)
A number of people that I know are outraged about being tricked into believing a certain close friend of theirs died in a horrible car accident along with his parents. Although I don't personally relate to the one who supposedly “died” (and therefore I will not say I am outraged in any emotional manner), I wholeheartedly support their anger—it's a justified one. Death is one of the last topics to take lightly.