If you are going to die, strip your ship down and save the modules so you don't lose too much cash. Or just do it anyway and save the time !
But a workaround is to go to the "store multiples" option in swapping out your cabins, and that gets rid of the passengers without a need to die.
This description from Commander Kzak: To get rid of mission-less passengers, dock at any station with Outfitting. Go to Outfitting, then Stored Modules (don't go to Optional Internal) and click 'Store multiple'. Store your passenger cabins, this should remove the passengers, and put the cabins back aboard your ship. You should now be able to go about your business as normal.
NOTE! This workaround has worked in the past, but some get an error-message instead.