Are you sure the limbs are actually dying, or is the foliage that's dying?

Did you have a hard freeze a month ago, and the tree could be dying back?

From what I've read, it could also be a bad case of nematodes, or even gophers eating the roots.

It could also be some sort of disease. You mentioned a paler green... if the leaves are mottled with paler green, maybe it's mosaic virus? If the leaves are not turning yellow, then it's probably not suffering from drought.

I got pictures up on my fig question by uploading them to Photobucket and then linking to them in my post. :)

Thanks LeopardMoth, for your response.

I was pretty sure the limbs were dying; the cambium layer inside the canes was brown and dry. I had the plant indoors so I don't think any freeze affected it. It probably did have mosaic virus or nematodes. I decided to throw it away.
Thanks anyway.

That's a real shame, wish you could have saved it, but you can only do so much.

I am suspecting that the garden center who gave it awy knew it has the disease.