Fingolfin wasn't the only Elf-Lord to die directly by Morgoth's hand. He was the second Elf-Lord to die in such manner. The first, killed in Valinor, was his father Finwë whom Morgoth slew outside the doors of Formenos.
I suspect the reason that most readers are drawn to Fingolfin's death has as much to do with the prose itself, as the act. Regardless of whether or not you are a Silmarillion fan, the description of Fingolfin's wrath and battle, is beautifully and compellingly written. Also, unlike his father before him, he chose to fight Morgoth. It was a willful act of heroism, some may say stupidity, not a "murder".
Did the murder of his father spur him on? I suspect as much as the devastating events that saw the death of so many Noldor.
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