Were he alive, he would've gone on a date with Joyce at Enzo's then went home to watch Miami Vice with El. But instead, we're wiping away tears right now because he's gone. While he and Joyce get the code to get into the gate-closing machine, a Russian soldier comes after them. Even though Hopper gets to the villain, Joyce, forced to make a difficult decision, decides to turn the keys to close the gate ASAP, creating an explosion that, presumably, kills Hopper and the Russians in the process.
The postcredits scene still suggests that he might be alive since it shows a guard referring to a prisoner as "an American." While it seems all too obvious, we're still holding out a candle for Hop.