there are many cases of people faking their deaths, for a variety of reasons. the reactions of people when the prank is over may vary from relief, surprise, humor, or even creating a faith around it.

I wonder, what if there was an experiment in the scale of the Truman show, in which the mechanics of death were faked for the Truman?

they could set things up to support death theories like:
resurrection, incarnation, temporary rest. with AI they could make it seem like some people lived for thousands of years.

the experiment would check to see how the Truman experiences life as a result.

would he take things slower? would he be blissfully unaware?
would he accept that reality or would he experiment on animals and bugs? would he appreciate his social circles less?