Alapaʻi died suddenly on August 2, 1849 of apoplexy just before the invasion of Honolulu by French naval captain Louis Tromelin. Her death prompted both her husband and the King to return to the capital from Hilo just in time to address the political crisis.[22][23][1] Alapai Street in Honolulu is named after her.[24][25][26] A painting of her hangs next to the baby grand piano in the parlor at Hānaiakamālama, the residence that her husband lived in after her death, which later became the summer palace of their niece Queen Emma, the wife of Kamehameha IV. Her lands eventually became part of the estates of Queen Emma which are now part of the trust of The Queen's Medical Center, the hospital that she helped established.