You use the word prior when speaking to an event, like; prior to an event, it means this happened before a certain event, or before something happened. Say there was a crime, and people were talking about how this happened, and what happened prior to this event.
There is no requirement for a will to be read prior to death.
Infectious disease was the leading cause of death prior to the 20th century !:]
Prior means before. It it just a fancy version to say it! Example: What happened prior to eating the pie?
something that has happened before
The correct phrase is "he was preceded in death." This construction uses the past tense "was" to indicate that the event of his death occurred in the past, and "preceded" describes an action that happened prior to that event. Using "is preceded" would incorrectly suggest that the event is ongoing or current.
he is on the DL as a free agent
What happened prior to the "big bang"
Gail Davis, the American actress best known for her role as Annie Oakley in the television series of the same name, died of complications related to cancer on March 15, 1997. She had been battling the illness prior to her passing. Davis was 87 years old at the time of her death.
Matthew Prior died on September 18, 1721 at the age of 57.
What happened prior to the "big bang"
There is no proven sighting of the Devil, prior to death or at any other time. Any definition of such a sighting would be an unproven statement