Is this how lizards die?

I wish I had a picture of this. The other day, while I was at work, my kids and my dog discovered a lizard (about 12-14 inches long, most of it tail) climbing up one of our backyard trees. It stayed motionless, as if it were playing dead. It was perched vertically, with its head at the top and its long tail draping below. My wife swore it moved its head, and then responded when she poked it with a stick. But the lizard never left its spot.

When I got home hours later, it was still there. I told them to leave it be. The next morning, still there, still hanging to the tree. It poured overnight, so I figured it couldn't be just hanging out. Sure enough, when I stuck it, it was dead. Do lizards die upright when they're climbing trees? Weird.