After the death of his beloved Murasaki no ue, he retires to Sagano, leads a priest's life for a few years and then passes away, as told later in the chapter of 'Yadorigi' (The Ivy).
最愛の紫の上の死後は、嵯峨野に隠退して二、三年出家生活を送った後に死去したことが、後に「宿木」で述べられる。