Crossword Genius

Stopped being dead without leading pair (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ceased

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'stopped' is the definition.
('cease' can be a synonym of 'stop')

'dead without leading pair' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'dead' could be 'd' and 'd' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'cease' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'being' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ceased that I've seen before include "Stopped or discontinued" , "Came to a close" , "Terminated" , "Concluded" , "Stopped, ended" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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