Actually.... Death has to occur. Without Death there is no life. That is why it is claimed by some scientists that the first 'creature' on Earth was the virus . The Great Destroyer. The source of food for Life.
Viruses need host cells to reproduce. They have no ability to reproduce without hijacking a cell, turning it's mechanisms of reproduction over to the virus, which uses them to reproduce. Since it cannot reproduce without a functioning host cell it isn't possible for a virus to be the first creature; as it would have immediately gone extinct.