Very often, trying to avoid talking about it or mentioning it is harder on the person who's reaching the end of his life. I'd imagine the loneliness of having to go there alone and having people dance around the issue might be hard to bear. This is all my opinion, though, and as Maeve and 999 have said, you know your friend and whether references to death will bother him.

I'm partial to "King Henry" (YouTube video), but I like the ones about magic best.

Steeleye Span, who I first heard on the radio in the early 70s (and misunderstood the name to be the "Steel Ice Band") did not, as far as I know, do blues.