Disclaimer: this is purposefully obtuse.
Other effects in the game which explicitly state they kill you:
Shadows, succubi, massive damage, death saving throws, beholder death ray (notably not even their disintegration ray kills you), power word kill, vampires, mind flayers, night hags, drow inquisitors.
Clearly, if they intended for disintegration to kill you, they’d have said so. Since specific overrides general, and there is no general rule that disintegrated creatures are dead, I rest my case. QED.
(my brother in Mystra, we’re in a meme community. I’m fucking with you.)
Unfortunately, there are plenty of people for whom this advice is really needed. I’ve a couple decades experience running drop-in games and boy do people do this for real. It’s a table-wrecker.
Send 'em round to mine!
Hmmm
We used to just call it a little bit of light trolling friend, but if you think I’m a douchebag for meming in a meme community I personally think that says more about you.