Leafless, Dying Azalea

Q: I have old azalea bushes that have leafless, dying branches. What could cause this? 

A: You will have to get on your hands and knees and inspect each of the limbs of your azalea. Particularly inspect the dead or dying limbs to see if you can find a starting point for the damage. Many times, you can simply prune back the dead part, and either the stub will sprout new leaves, or the limbs on either side of the gap will send branches into it.