IMO- Boromir dies so to further endear him to us. Would we have forgiven him as fully if he still lived, instead of dying nobly while trying to protect Merry and Pippin? With his death, he restored all his good and honest qualities. His last actions are selfless and heroic, and those are the characteristics that endure. In this way, Tolkien allows Boromir to do the damage of causing the break up of the Fellowship, and at the same time lets him repent and attone for his sins.
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