The tragic story of Kebo Kenanga's death began with the suspicion of the Sultan of Demak Bintara and his supporting guardians towards the influence of Ki Ageng Kebo Kenanga in Pengging. Apart from being considered to have spread heretical Islamic ideas, in terms of lineage, he was more entitled to be the successor to the throne of the Majapahit Kingdom. This was because Raden Patah, the founder of Demak, was born to a Chinese who became the concubine of Brawijaya V. The teachings and figure of Syaikh Siti Jenar also became a source of anxiety for the Sultan of Demak and the guardians, who not only considered the teachings to deviate from the standard teachings and were therefore accused of being misleading, but the teachings were also considered to have planted seeds of rebellion against the legitimacy of the power of the Demak Bintara Sultanate which was being painstakingly built by the sultan and the guardians. Ki Ageng Kebo Kenanga's decision to die by cutting his own soul cord (another version asks Sunan Kudus to stab his weak point in the elbow), became a symbol of his willingness to give in to worldly affairs and continue to uphold the principle of human equality by refusing to submit to the sultan, according to the teachings of Syaikh Siti Jenar (Interview with Paijo Wiryowiyoro, Caretaker of Ki Ageng Kebo Kenanga's Tomb, June 23, 2019).

The death of Ki Ageng Kebo Kenanga, which was then followed by the death of his wife not long after, made Karebet an orphan. Therefore, Karebet was then raised by Nyai Ageng Tingkir and lived in Tingkir, so he was also known by the nickname Jaka Tingkir, before finally becoming Sultan Pajang. The name Kebo Kenanga will also be found in the Butuh tomb complex, Sragen, along with the tomb of his son, Sultan Hadiwijaya. In this version, Kebo Kenanga is said not to have died. However, he exiled himself to the Butuh area in Sragen. There, he had a new title, namely Ki Ageng Butuh, taught religion and founded a mosque. Therefore, not everyone believes that Kebo Kenanga's tomb in Pengging does not contain a body, but only Kebo Kenanga's spear (Interview with Joko Subiyantoro, pilgrim, June 23, 2019).