Help with npc respawning

[vague grove]

** You are now Level 1! **

[leaden trout]

I have a rig which chases me around and I implemented a function so that it respawns if it dies but more than one npc respawns and it multiplies each time
Here's my script

local npc = script.Parent
local humanoid = npc:WaitForChild("Humanoid")
local rootPart = npc:WaitForChild("HumanoidRootPart")
local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local respawnTime = 3
local npcSpawnPoint = rootPart.Position
local npcClone = npc:Clone()

local walkSpeed = 50

local function getNearestPlayer()
local nearestPlayer = nil
local shortestDistance = math.huge

for _, player in pairs(Players:GetPlayers()) do  
    local character = player.Character
    if character and character:FindFirstChild("HumanoidRootPart") then
        local distance = (rootPart.Position - character.HumanoidRootPart.Position).magnitude
        if distance < shortestDistance then
            shortestDistance = distance
            nearestPlayer = character
        end
    end
end

return nearestPlayer

end

local function followNearestPlayer()
while humanoid.Health > 0 do

    local target = getNearestPlayer()

    if target then
        
        humanoid:MoveTo(target.HumanoidRootPart.Position)
        humanoid.WalkSpeed = walkSpeed

        
        humanoid.MoveToFinished:Wait()  
    end

    
    wait(0.05) 
end

end

local function respawnNPC()
wait(respawnTime)

local newNPC = npcClone:Clone()
newNPC.Parent = npc.Parent 
newNPC:SetPrimaryPartCFrame(CFrame.new(npcSpawnPoint))


script.Parent = newNPC
newNPC:FindFirstChild("Humanoid").Died:Connect(respawnNPC)
followNearestPlayer() 

end

humanoid.Died:Connect(respawnNPC)

followNearestPlayer()

[clear zenith]

thats because

you clone the NPC

so it has the script which runs this

but then u ALSO wait for that one to die here

[floral lynx]

I wouldn't advise you to put the script inside the NPC as it can glitch or fall into the void and once it's deleted the script will too (a good chance that it will, not sure if it actually would)

A safer approach is to place both script and NPC in a folder at ServerStoarge and copy paste it from there to the workspace, ensuring that the NPC is untouched and not a duplicate of a dead or damaged one in a different location.