I hate these notifications too. I end up with long stretches when my Sims are constantly sad for a week or so at a time, because multiple sims have died. Often it's not even a close friend or family member so I have no clue who the game is referring to in the notifications. When it's someone the sims are close to, it's fine, and makes a lot of sense, but a random acquaintance causing the same level of grief as a spouse or parent is ridiculous.
I posted about this a while back and someone told me about the Moodlet Solver potion, which I have used when I can spare the points. It's a major help, but I really shouldn't be using it as frequently as I sometimes do.
