The bare branches are undoubtedly dead. Always remove dead branches.

Correct, but why did they die? Was it because I cut their length?

It just got too cold for them. I have Brown Turkey and it died to the ground 2 years ago. Coming back strong. Yes, just cut out the dead wood.

I'll cut the dead wood yes but why did it die off when I pruned it?

It had leaves before.

OP you haven't given us your location (to determine climate/weather including drought or winter low temps) or any cultural information about your fig. We can't guess why it died back without any info. When did you prune it? What is your care regimen?

No. It did not die because you pruned it. They do that.

Give us the nearest big city and your zone.

I'm in Fort Worth, Texas zone 8a/b

I pruned it last fall and my maintenance has always been watering twice a week when the sprinklers come on.

So limbs do that? Why did it not do that before I pruned it. Year after year it had leaves.

You probably had a really cold snap for a day or two. That is what gets mine. Warm for a while and then boom, cold.

Two years ago, above normal November and December, then News Years weekend, it dropped from 70 to 9 degrees overnight.

Even if it stays in the 40 and drops that fast, you will get die back. Just trim the dead wood. What variety are you growing?

I'm growing lsu purple. Do I cut it down near the soil as low as possible or higher?

No! No! No! Just cut out the dead branches. The rest is fine and will bear fruit.

You need to google fig trees and read.

It will fill in.

The ones that are dead only on the tips, just trim off the tips.

You are making too much of this

Yes sorry I meant to say I cut the dead ones only but as low as I can get to the soil?

NO! only cut the bare wood. If a branch has green leaves, cut above the top green leaf. Please google and read. They only other tim to trim is to keep the size down and you do no do that in the summer. You cut dead wood out at any time.

Pleas google and read the goverment blogs for figs.