On 23 December 1745, Zelenka died of dropsy. Because he was a Catholic, he was allowed to be buried in the Catholic cemetery. According to the records in Dresden, Zelenka never married. He lived alone. His music became valuable after he died. Georg Philipp Telemann tried to publish Zelenka's works. He was not successful. The manuscripts of Zelenka's music remained locked in Dresden. There are no known paintings of Zelenka.