The death of a small star and a very massive star can be quite dramatically different.
Whereas a small star just shuts off, so to say, and becomes a white dwarf, usually massive stars die creating huge blackholes that can swallow many planets, and everything else around them. Small stars die with a so called "unnova," which means their death is silent. On the other hand, massive stars die creating supernovas, which is a catastrophic explosion.
