Late in 1686 the king had been ill, but he got better, so he asked Lully to organize a concert to celebrate the fact that he was well again. The concert was given on 8 January 1687. The orchestra played a Te Deum. Lully conducted the orchestra. Conductors did not yet use batons (sticks) in those days. Instead, Lully banged a big stick on the floor to keep the orchestra together. Suddenly, he hit his toe with his stick. The wound in the toe got an infection. The infection later became gangrene. He did not want the doctors to cut off his toe. The infection spread to the rest of the body, and he died on 22 March from gangrene.