As he became older he became deaf. High and low pitches sounded muddled to him. He retired from the Conservatoire in 1920 at the age of 75. In that year he received the Grand Cross of the Légion d’Honneur. It was unusual for a musician to have such a high honour. His health became poor, partly because he smoked heavily. He died in Paris from pneumonia in 1924 and was given a state funeral.