Peter Parker: Spider-Man / Elektra Annual 1998 The Night they Killed Big Bear... it was in the stars pg 33 by Joyce Chin & Andy Lanning

Peter Parker: Spider-Man / Elektra Annual 1998
“The Night they Killed Big Bear… it was in the stars” Pg 33
Pencil & Inks on Marvel Bristol Board
Pencils: Joyce Chin (Signed top right)
Inks: Andy Lanning
Writer & Letters: Jack Morelli

Featuring Spiderman, Elektra, & the first appearance of The Silencer created bu Jack Morelli and Joyce Chin.

Disgraced former boxer Sam “Big Bear” Lincoln works as a janitor at the Hayden Planetarium. He’s murdered by agents of the mobster Alphonse Scarpetti, who thinks Sam is going to reveal Scarpetti’s connection to an infamous murder. Later, Bugle sports reporter Max Igoe attempts suicide. Spider-Man saves his life and Max confesses he feels responsible for Sam’s murder after interviewing him for a book. Before he died, Sam sent an audio tape to his friend MacKinley Stewart. Scarpetti’s men ransack Mac’s apartment, stealing the tape and leaving Mac for dead. Mac’s friend, Elektra, investigates the attack and soon encounters Spider-Man at Scarpetti’s home. They leave with the audio tape, which gives them the clues needed to find evidence Sam left hidden at the planetarium. While there, Spider-Man and Elektra are attacked by Scarpetti’s enforcer, the wraith-like Silencer. Using magnetism from a broken meteorite, they defeat the Silencer and capture the evidence needed to put Scarpetti in prison. Elektra is unable to enjoy the victory, however, after Mac dies from his injuries.

In regards to Mac's death I think that might have been the point. This is exactly the same thing they did with Danny Ketch's Ghost Rider in Spider-Man #93. In both cases a character whose series had just been cancelled popped up in the Spider-Man books and the appearance was used to restore their traditional status quo.

For Ghost Rider that meant a mysterious origin and being bound to Danny Ketch. For Elektra it's being a loner with romantic designs on Daredevil. By doing this they keep a consistent continuity and use a higher selling book to bring attention back to the character so their title can be relaunched.