Wan Li died on 15 July 2015 in Beijing of an unspecified illness. In his official obituary, Wan Li was extolled as "an excellent Party member, a time-tested fighter for the communist cause, and an outstanding proletarian revolutionary, statesman and leader of the Party and the state." It also said that Wan was "loyal to the party, loyal to the people, and loyal to the socialist cause for his entire life [...]" and that "he observed party discipline and preserved party unity".