This is a great idea - but I don't see why we'd want to "keep people from abusing it" or "have to register with SE and prove the player death".

What if I wanted to make a (better) shrine to Hauchefaunt, with a statue? Or commemorate my dead grandmother, who never played?
Or a statue of our years-long FC leader, who simply quit the game?
Actually - what would be wrong with building a statue of ourselves? Commemorating say our Eternal Bonding ceremony if there were two of them. Or our defeat of an Ultimate raid? Or for that matter - just one that says "Jennah is awesome!"
Would that sort of thing actually detract from your fallen friend?