 He died of pneumonia in Milan in 1886 and was interred in the city's Monumental Cemetery.<ref>Caldini, Sandro 2001, "Amilcare Ponchielli’s "Capriccio"" , in "The Double Reed", Vol.24, No.1</ref>

Although in his lifetime Ponchielli was very popular and influential (and introduced an enlarged orchestra and more complex orchestration) only one of his operas is regularly performed today - "La Gioconda".