Dying in GangCity isn't the end. You can start over right away, and you decide how. You stay in control of your name and of what you carry over to your new character. Dying is closely tied to murders and the hitlist.
As soon as your life runs out, your character is wrapped up. That takes at most a few minutes. After that you see an end screen where you choose how to continue: keep your old name, or take a completely new name. You don't need to sign up again or confirm an email; your choice takes effect immediately and you keep playing right away.
Deceased players no longer appear among the online members — as soon as you die, you disappear from that list. When you come back (with the same name or a new one), you stay invisible in the online list for a while longer, even if you're actively playing. That way, it's not immediately obvious to everyone which account just came back after a kill.
If you choose this, you start over with the same name. You keep your name and your visible reputation, such as your old forum posts. Your money, possessions and progress disappear, so you start again from the bottom. This is the choice if you want to stay recognizable to other players.
If you'd rather start over anonymously, you take a new name. You leave your old name and reputation behind, and no one needs to know it's you. The name must be available and meet the same rules as at registration: at least four characters, letters and numbers only, and not already in use.
A few earned things you may carry over per component to your new character, or deliberately leave behind:
If you choose a new name and want to stay truly anonymous, leave your badges and titles behind, since others can recognize you by them. A carried-over title is in your possession again after the reset; you still need to set it yourself in your profile before it becomes visible.
Your money, your items, your vehicles and your progress in the game never carry over, regardless of your choice. That's intentional: starting over means a clean slate. Your place in an ongoing event also starts from zero; only the badge as permanent proof can be carried over.
If you die while not logged in, you can simply sign up again with the same email address. You make the same choice then, during sign-up, and confirm it after activating your new account via email.