What happened to Alfie's father?

Today’s picture mystery. Background: Alfie Atkins does not want to sleep, so he sends dad away on various assignments. Get that and that. Finally, the teddy bear! Where is it? Dad finally finds it under the couch. Alfie waits and waits. But dad’s not coming? Alfie leaves the bed and goes to look… Then he finds dad lying on the floor of the living room.
Alfie notices that dad is asleep, because he snores. But, and this is where I was going to come!, I think nowadays (“Good night, Alfie Atkins” is from -72) one would be wary of making a drawing like this for a children’s book. Why? Because it could awake associations to stroke, heart attack, death.
Because something has happened to our collective “mentality”, that is. Which paths the thoughts quickly go, and thus what one must beware of. Or what do you think?