Did Jack really have to die to save Rose at the end of Titanic?

This position holds that Jack did have to die at the end of Titanic. It argues the freezing water would have killed him before any plan worked, that terror and cold prevented calm problem-solving, that the panel would sink under two, and that his death was a necessary artistic choice.

This position holds that Jack did not have to die at the end of Titanic. It argues the floating panel was large enough for two, that a life jacket tied beneath it (as MythBusters showed) would have added buoyancy, and that Rose's own life jacket could have kept Jack out of the freezing water.