JOI killed himself in order to return as a wraith and finally reach Hal
with failed-channel the best-anchored candidate.
Where readers stand
minority
minority, recurring (independently re-derived by readers arriving separately at the same reading — a good sign). The …
In plain terms: JOI killed himself specifically in order to come back as a wraith and finally reach Hal.
Where the text lands: the general "he died over a failed father-son channel" motive is unresolved (it is the best-anchored candidate in a crowded field); the specific "died in order to return as a wraith" version is a stretch; the whole motive question looks built to be unanswerable. Among readers: a recurring minority, independently re-derived more than once.
The reasoning is that the Entertainment failed as a way to reach Hal, so the spectral route was the remaining move. A related sub-question is whose name Avril wrote in the car window -- the one detailed account names Avril as the writer but leaves the name's referent unresolved. See Ghosts and Wraiths.
The question
This reading answers the crux why — incl. died-to-become-a-wraith.
The ruling
Weighed in the adversarial ledger James O. Incandenza's Death.
The evidence
FN 80; the "he kills Himself" wordplay; the creator-immunity menu (why the film never killed him)
the Entertainment failed as father-son channel, so the spectral channel was the remaining move