Willard Eggleston's death

Was it an accident? it definitely seemed like a genuine accident. He did say that he'd make it look like an accident, but when you saw him putting up the letters on that sign, and when he fell off the ladder there was no one watching him, so there'd be no reason for him to make it look that realistic. So it must have been an accident, right?

Also, it didn't take the characters very long at all to get over the news of his death.