Jane Austen spent the later part of her life at Chawton, where she wrote her later novels, and where she died. She began to suffer from ill-health in 1816, and it is now thought (but unclear) that she was suffering from Addison's disease, which is a failure of the adrenal glands that was often caused by tuberculosis. The main features of the disease began to show a year before her death. These symptons included progressive weakness, gastric upsets and discolouration of the skin.

It is known that Jane began to have a feeling of weakness or tiredness around July 1816, and from her letters that she wrote to her sister, she appeared to have suffered severe back pain. Other letters that she wrote detailed her symptoms, which may have led to speculations of Addison's disease.

In her letters she described the changes which she went through, such as her appearance and the discolouring of her skin. Her last two available letters showed a rapid deterioration.

In March 1816, Jane's brother, Henry Austen, who had helped Jane to get her novels published seemed very prosperous, went bankrupt. This caused Jane to experience mental shock and may have sparked off symptoms of an illness, beginning with the back pain and faintness.

Back pain is thought to have been a symptom of Addison's disease and Jane Austen described the first recorded case of Addison's disease of the adrenal bodies.

The little donkey carriage that Jane used to ride in the days when she could no longer walk because of the disease, can be seen at the Jane Austen museum in Chawton.

Jane died in the early hours of 18 July, 1817, at the age of 41. She is buried in Winchester Cathedral.