Méhul's operatic success was not as great in the first decade of the nineteenth century as it had been in the 1790s, although works such as "Joseph" (1807) became famous abroad, particularly in Germany. The failure of his opera "Les amazones" in 1811 was a severe blow and virtually ended his career as a composer for the theatre. Despite his friendship with Napoleon, Méhul's public standing survived the transition to the Bourbon Restoration intact. However, the composer was now seriously ill with tuberculosis and he died on 18 October 1817. His grave is at Père Lachaise Cemetery, near the grave of the composer François Joseph Gossec.