Exactly. I know personally of several instances. Besides the PC aspects of it, it allows denial by surviving family members. Particularly in a case where the man had 5 kids and left his wife for another man, later dying of AIDS. But some of the kids still insist it was complications of pneumonia.
Here is a perfect example:
http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2015/07/joe_parker_life_story.html
I know it can happen but not many 47 year olds are dying of pneumonia these days.