You know, it really doesn't matter HOW the crash was happening, whether the crash happened at low speed landing or at higher speed from altitude, the idea that the guy "died doing what he loved" is about as absurd as anything I've heard. The same thing is said about race car drivers.
Well, I'll just tell you, I've been upside down and on fire at over 170MPH, and because I was along for the ride, I had a few seconds to think. As the car hurtled along towards several fixed obstacles, I saw several things I thought were most likely going to kill me. Never once did I think "well, at least I'll die racing". And pilots of warbirds LOVE their planes, so I don't think they want to take the love of their life with them, either. When you race cars, you love racing, not crashing. You don't die racing, you die crashing. I'm sure the same applies to aircraft and flying.