Yes it sounds like it

I just wanted to make absolutely sure it wasn't coming back before removing it and replacing it with something else

Sounds like it might have been cicada damage.

Quite possibly verticillium wilt.

Could there be sprouts at the base?

I just checked but I don't see anything around the bottom either. If there was any chance of it blooming later in the season I would leave it but otherwise I would like to replace

Here are some pictures. I dont see any buds at all. The branches feel pretty brittle when I break them

Yeah, it looks pretty darn dead. And that dark interior staining looks very similar to one of the visual symptoms of verticillium wilt. Before you replant something in that area, I would strongly suggest you take one or more of those exposed broken branches to your county extension office for them to send to their plant pathology lab for a diagnosis. VW can remain active the soil for an extended period and can infect any susceptible species, producing a similar result.

That is a good idea thank you I definitely wouldn't want this to happen again I feel badly I tried so hard to keep it alive