Died by backing into landowner's Beetle (8)
I believe the answer is:
ladybird
'beetle' is the definition.
(ladybird beetle is a kind of beetle)
'died by backing into landowner's' is the wordplay.
'died' becomes 'd' (abbreviation next to the year of someone's death).
'backing' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'into' indicates putting letters inside.
'landowner' becomes 'laird' (Scottish term for a landowner).
'by' reversed gives 'yb'.
'd'+'yb'='dyb'
'dyb' put inside 'laird' is 'LADYBIRD'.
(Other definitions for ladybird that I've seen before include "Red spotted beetle" , "Red insect with black spots" , "Common insect" , "Small flying beetle, red with black spots" , "Beetle spotted by black" .)