If plaintiff Peter has a claim against defendant Dan for, say libel, then P must file the claim before he dies in order for P's wife Wilma to inherit a right to P's claim.
But if P is killed negligently by D, then W does have a wrongful death claim against D. But it's her claim, not one she inherited from P.
No, not if the libel will hurt P's estate after his death. Then his spouse/executor/descendants have an interest in and a duty to limit that and to recover damages.
Imagine someone libeling P such that it kills his music recordings or book or movie sales/royalties, or devalues the property he/his estate owns that his estate will sell. The libel action can cause damages after the death that his estate/spouse can sue for, whether that suit was filed before his death or not. But hey, I'm not a lawyer. That's just how it seems to me from watching stuff from the outside.