I would consider that... after waiting a while to see if leaves sprout back. Then, if no leaves grow back after Spring, I would prune in 1/2" increments until I see green. Some people use their nails to remove the cambium(sp.?) layer and see if they detect green but, eh, I just wait.

Was it winter damage that killed the leaves? Uneven watering? I noticed on the right of the picture a source of rain water that could dump lots of water at times. Be careful it does not get flooded such that the soil gets periods of wet, dry, wet.

Thanks! Not sure if it was winter damage or what. Seemed to be fine until about 2 months ago and the leaves started falling. The rain gutter there isn't an issue. The slope and splash block divert the water away. I did scrape the bark with my nail and its brown all the way until about an inch above the top leaves.

You can prune that part out then.