What are the different stages stars go through as they die?

As stars approach the end of their life cycles, they undergo several stages depending on their mass. For low to medium-mass stars, like our Sun, they expand into red giants, shedding outer layers to form planetary nebulas, with the core remaining as a white dwarf. Massive stars, however, experience a more violent end, going supernova and leaving behind either a neutron star or a black hole. Throughout these stages, nuclear fusion processes change, leading to the formation of heavier elements.