Promissory note question

I'm unsure if this is the correct forum to post this, but I would like a clarification on the following:

Suppose that I loan someone some money on the agreement that the money be repaid with fixed interest at a particular future date, and a promissory note is issued to formally document the transaction. If the borrower dies before the money is paid back, is the promissory note sufficient for me to make a claim on the assets of the decease, or do I need to have this however unlikely situation be covered in the borrower's will as well?

For a second and separate question, if I am loaning money to someone who resides in another country, should that promissory note be generated to the laws of the borrower's country, or the lender's?

Thanks in advance.

Let me ask a question before answering yours --- why are you making a loan internationally wherein the repayment terms are unclear? Depending on circumstances, it is hard enough to recover money from a lender domestically, forget overseas!

Do post back with a brief description of what this loan is for!

Brad