Not only does it help being dead, but it also helps to have made such a significant contribution to klal yisroel, that people are repeating things in your name or learning your Torah, so much that they need a good way to refer to you.
I wonder if it originally developed as short-hand by people in the printing business? Easier to write Rashi (3 letters in Hebrew) than R’ Shlomo Yitzchaki.
Many of the Rishonim (Rabbanim who lived in Mid Ages, 11-15 century) are known by their acronyms. Achronim (period following rishonim) are known by their acronyms (e.g. the Gra, Malbim, Netizv, the GRYZ) or their sefarim- (e.g. the Chofetz Chaim, Chasam Sofer, Meshech Chochma). Contemporary Rabbanim (including those who were niftar within a generation or so) are known usually by their names-probably because people still remember them as people, not just from their sefarim. So when you say R’ Moshe, you are referring to R’ Moshe Feinstein, not the Rambam or Chasam Sofer. It takes some perspective of time to consistently call the Rav after his work instead of his name. Most likely eventually we will permanently add the Igros Moshe and the Yabia Omer (R’ Ovadia Yosef) to the list.
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