You could always compensate by adding an equivalent delay before the emote starts, during which the player can’t move.
As for that last point, I really didn’t get that impression from it, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that comedic value is likely to be missed by other players as well. I think it has much more of an impact if it’s at that instant—really ties it to the action visually to make it obvious that’s what caused them to die. Just my 2¢.