Just finished Rebirth. Have a question for those who played the original.

Hey, so I loved the remake. But now it got me thinking: why did they kill off Aerith so early?

Did this also happen at this point of time in the original? Not that I'm not interested in part 3 which I am, but having the big emotional moment happen kind of halfway through the story, do you think part 3 can be able to reach a high higher then Rebirth with whats left to adapt?