Grim Reaper

Grim Reaper in the Sims
When someone dies, the Grim Reaper will appear to take them away.

If another family member wants to, they can plead with Death to spare the deceased's life. If Death is in a bad mood, he will take the corpse anyway; if Death is in a good mood, he will play rock, paper, scissors with that Sim. If the Sims wins, the deceased is brought back to life for a second chance, but if the Sim loses, Death will either take the corpse or be nice and turn the deceased into a zombie. A zombie has a bluish hue, walks funny and has no personality points, but otherwise is a normal Sim.

In first person mode on certain games, as the ghost, you can either pay the grim reaper $100, or, challenge him to a fiddle contest. Paying the 100 Simoleans will automatically renew your Sim their life, while, the Fiddle contest can take time. The best way to ensure that your deceased Sim will win, is if you fill their wants and needs bar. When your Sim returns to life, all of their needs will be half-way full. Your Sim will not look any different, or act any differently than they did before they 'died'.

In either case, there is no way to save someone who has drowned, so be warned.

On the Sims 2 for PC, an object can be gained from the paranormal career track that can bring back the dead, but this costs simoleans. On the Sims 2