Zhao died under house arrest, where he spent the rest of his life following his ouster in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) that ended the student-led pro-democracy movement that had occupied Tiananmen Square for several weeks. Zhao's family paid their respects at his tomb in the Tianshouyuancemetery near Beijing amid tight security, with police preventing anyone but the family from approaching the area.
Zhao's son Zhao Erjun said the grave now has a tree planted in front of it, making it hard to get to.