Why did Garrett have to die at the end of the story?

Because the story was inspired by my father and that's what happened to him, I thought it best to end the novel as it did for me in real life. (See Background Information on Message in a Bottle.) Also, I write tragedies or novels with bittersweet endings, and tragedies by definition are just that. Romeo and Juliet had a far more tragic ending by the way, and I don't read a lot of complaints about that story!

At the same time, I thought the conclusion gave the novel deeper meaning. Had it been a "happily ever after" ending, the story would have become melodramatic (melodrama, by definition, requires a happy ending), and I prefer bittersweet or tragic stories.