Energy in classic physics is reasonably simple.. Scientists had that measured and defined before the 20th Century rolled around. Energy in quantum physics is a little spookier to the lay mind (mine, for sure.) For instance a term like “energy level” refers to which orbit an electron inhabits(*) around the nucleus of an atom – so I doubt the transition from living to no longer living in any DNA-bearing tissue is likely to affect the energy levels of the electrons orbiting the nuclei of its constituent atoms.
Because quantum physics goes so far into the deep mysteries of the universe, it is tempting to think it also has a connection to the deep mysteries of spirit, soul, and life. While there may seem to be a connection, since both are mysterious, and even a correlation can seem highly unlikely, actual causation, e.g. some sort of life energy needing to go somewhere, isn’t something CERN will be studying.
(*) Electrons ‘inhabit’ orbits, for lack of a better term, because they exist as much as a probability function as they do a small ball-shaped mass. Particle physics moved one prominent scientist in the first half of the 20th Century to insist that “GOD doesn’t throw dice,” because things appear to happen in ways that DO NOT map to small balls called electrons that take predictable paths. If you had GOD’s eyes you still couldn’t “see” an electron – it isn’t built that way.
Oh, and Another Thing 