Stars are born from a massive cloud of gas, dust, and particles called a 'nebula'. As the nebula collapses under its own gravity, clumps of matter gather together and eventually form a stellar core called a 'protostar'. As more and more material is accumulated, the protostar becomes dense and hot until nuclear fusion ignites, converting hydrogen into helium to form a main-sequence star, like our Sun. The star will stay stable for millions or billions of years, until it runs out of nuclear fuel. Depending on its mass, the star will then die in one of several ways. Smaller stars, like our Sun, become red giants before shedding their outer layers and collapsing into white dwarfs. Larger stars, on the other hand, may explode as supernovae and leave behind dense neutron stars or even black holes.
Imagine you are an experienced astronomer. Explain the process of the birth and eventual death of a star in a manner suitable for a general audience.