Is the Sun dead? Probably not, despite news reports to the contrary.
In this case "dead" refers to how "lively" the sun's sunspot activity is. Right now the activity is low.
But when a Japanese solar scientist told an international solar conference that the sun is "dead," news reports emerged and alarms were sounded about the possibility of our dead sun leading to a new little ice age.
Doug Biesecker, Chair of the Solar Cycle Progression and Prediction Panel at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, isn't buying it. He says the level of solar activity is low, but that "it's really hard to make an argument that the sun is exceptionally quiet."
Solar cycles happen over a period of 11 years. We are currently near the end of one cycle and the start of the next. Biesecker says solar activity is still steadily declining from its peak in 2001, but contrary to some news reports there have been no months with zero sunspots.