had died
Tom quedó estupefacto al oír que María había muerto.
Tom was stunned to hear that Maria had died.
Pensé que Tom había muerto.
I thought Tom had died.
I thought he had died.
Pero, en realidad, estaba teniendo una crisis porque su perro había muerto.
But, in reality, he was having a crisis because his dog had died.
— Toni Erdmann (2016)
No podía sino pensar que había muerto.
I could only think that he had died.
Ya había muerto cuando yo llegué.
He had already died when I arrived.