Mithrandir said:
I don't know what would be stranger, if the information being true, or Abrahams loosing his time sending phony information. At the end of the day it's just a movie, like Mark Hammill, the most centered guy ever on this saga, said.
It's actually not strange for any director to do what it takes to guard secrets and plot points of a movie, and SW is certainly no exception as SilverWook pointed out. Abrams is notorious for doing whatever it takes to keep the mystery, so really I wouldn't put it past him to put out "false leaks" amidst the "true leaks" in hopes of mixing things up.
Regarding Han, he had a price on his head in ANH. Was frozen to death in ESB. Almost died in the Sarlacc Pit. Having survived that, he will die at a fanboy's hands?
He'll likely die because he will NEED to die. It's inevitable, whether it's in TFA or the next episode. After all, Harrison is no spring chicken and it is time to move on with the new bunch of heroes. Just as you later say, Solo is absolutely not the type to just die in his bed from age; he is a gun-slinging fighter and so he must die from a heroic/sacrificial act.
Death of the Mentor is what makes the characters grow in every movie, and the Mentor, unless something changed in Star Wars, is supposed to be Luke.
That is true, when a mentor/guardian dies, the student/child is generally forced to grow, as it's been done already a couple times in SW and many times over in other stories... so personally I would like something a little different. In contrast to both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan dying, Luke doesn't have to die just to "pass the torch". Just like Yoda was in ESB, Luke can become that wise figure too and be there when it's integral to the story, for training and guidance. Then, whenever our next generation is ready and have "left the nest", what I would really like for Luke and his closure is he should "walk off into the sunset" (originally thought for ROTJ) and we will never know what exactly happens to him after that. We may occasionally hear stories about him afterward, but they're myth - he'll become a legend.
Edit:
Interesting bit of rumors of Solo confronting Ren. It doesnt sound farfetched, in fact I think it sounds quite good. But we won't ever know for certain until the release.