Does the phrase "met fate" always refer to a death? And is it different from the phrase "met one's fate"?

to meet one's fate (end)

(phrase​ mainly literary)

to die in a particular way (BrE)

MacMillan

It appears to occur more in pre-1900 literature and decline in use after that, and seen mainly in historical accounts such as...

He met his fate with unostentatious fortitude ; and although few could ever think of justifying his projects or regretting their failure ; yet his youth , his talents , the great respectability of his connexions , and the evident delusion of which he was.

The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal, Volume 33

It has been observed , that the spot on which Hampden met his fate , was the same where he had commenced the war by attacking the king ' s troops . It should be observed , that he was a kinsman of Oliver Cromwell , whose aunt his father ...

The Biographical Magazine - Volume 1 - Page 9

As Frank Herbert said in Dune, everyone's fate is the same; we all die.

I wouldn't use it in

if a person was fated to become a great musician, could I say that they "met fate" when they picked up an instrument for the first time?

I would suggest...

He met his destiny

I've actualy used the phrase 'fallen into a fate' in a poem. And I didn't intend it to be unserstood as meaning 'fallen to his death".

Personally, that this phrase is used in this sense has probably more to do with the over-production of trashy thrillers where everyone 'meets their fate' apart from the protagonist.