diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/dso-data.c b/tools/perf/tests/dso-data.c
index 3e41c61bd8610406fcc4dd2afa45198a6d32be70..a218aeaf56a002396bf0d0db9ef0e457a7445c9f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/dso-data.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/dso-data.c
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ int test__dso_data(void)
 		free(buf);
 	}
 
-	dso__delete(dso);
+	dso__put(dso);
 	unlink(file);
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ static void dsos__delete(int cnt)
 		struct dso *dso = dsos[i];
 
 		unlink(dso->name);
-		dso__delete(dso);
+		dso__put(dso);
 	}
 
 	free(dsos);
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/hists_common.c b/tools/perf/tests/hists_common.c
index 915f60af6a0ebe6fba525e0f65b1e8205a1da025..ce80b274b097332d02b5502fb0c5b88fc6d6016a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/hists_common.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/hists_common.c
@@ -134,11 +134,15 @@ struct machine *setup_fake_machine(struct machines *machines)
 
 			sym = symbol__new(fsym->start, fsym->length,
 					  STB_GLOBAL, fsym->name);
-			if (sym == NULL)
+			if (sym == NULL) {
+				dso__put(dso);
 				goto out;
+			}
 
 			symbols__insert(&dso->symbols[MAP__FUNCTION], sym);
 		}
+
+		dso__put(dso);
 	}
 
 	return machine;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/dso.c b/tools/perf/util/dso.c
index ff0204ac4321e2e67ddd2c105253a62e1d044179..7c0c08386a1d9d6fb5e8cba6c838e5c3c1949bd7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/dso.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/dso.c
@@ -1049,6 +1049,7 @@ struct dso *dso__new(const char *name)
 		INIT_LIST_HEAD(&dso->node);
 		INIT_LIST_HEAD(&dso->data.open_entry);
 		pthread_mutex_init(&dso->lock, NULL);
+		atomic_set(&dso->refcnt, 1);
 	}
 
 	return dso;
@@ -1083,6 +1084,19 @@ void dso__delete(struct dso *dso)
 	free(dso);
 }
 
+struct dso *dso__get(struct dso *dso)
+{
+	if (dso)
+		atomic_inc(&dso->refcnt);
+	return dso;
+}
+
+void dso__put(struct dso *dso)
+{
+	if (dso && atomic_dec_and_test(&dso->refcnt))
+		dso__delete(dso);
+}
+
 void dso__set_build_id(struct dso *dso, void *build_id)
 {
 	memcpy(dso->build_id, build_id, sizeof(dso->build_id));
@@ -1153,6 +1167,27 @@ void __dsos__add(struct dsos *dsos, struct dso *dso)
 {
 	list_add_tail(&dso->node, &dsos->head);
 	__dso__findlink_by_longname(&dsos->root, dso, NULL);
+	/*
+	 * It is now in the linked list, grab a reference, then garbage collect
+	 * this when needing memory, by looking at LRU dso instances in the
+	 * list with atomic_read(&dso->refcnt) == 1, i.e. no references
+	 * anywhere besides the one for the list, do, under a lock for the
+	 * list: remove it from the list, then a dso__put(), that probably will
+	 * be the last and will then call dso__delete(), end of life.
+	 *
+	 * That, or at the end of the 'struct machine' lifetime, when all
+	 * 'struct dso' instances will be removed from the list, in
+	 * dsos__exit(), if they have no other reference from some other data
+	 * structure.
+	 *
+	 * E.g.: after processing a 'perf.data' file and storing references
+	 * to objects instantiated while processing events, we will have
+	 * references to the 'thread', 'map', 'dso' structs all from 'struct
+	 * hist_entry' instances, but we may not need anything not referenced,
+	 * so we might as well call machines__exit()/machines__delete() and
+	 * garbage collect it.
+	 */
+	dso__get(dso);
 }
 
 void dsos__add(struct dsos *dsos, struct dso *dso)
@@ -1206,7 +1241,7 @@ struct dso *dsos__findnew(struct dsos *dsos, const char *name)
 {
 	struct dso *dso;
 	pthread_rwlock_wrlock(&dsos->lock);
-	dso = __dsos__findnew(dsos, name);
+	dso = dso__get(__dsos__findnew(dsos, name));
 	pthread_rwlock_unlock(&dsos->lock);
 	return dso;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/dso.h b/tools/perf/util/dso.h
index c16ab5d849c39061e51d785683b63ea5beff2655..2fe98bb0e95b0d4b88fb58f2fc28daee875a13bb 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/dso.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/dso.h
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #ifndef __PERF_DSO
 #define __PERF_DSO
 
+#include <linux/atomic.h>
 #include <linux/types.h>
 #include <linux/rbtree.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
@@ -179,7 +180,7 @@ struct dso {
 		void	 *priv;
 		u64	 db_id;
 	};
-
+	atomic_t	 refcnt;
 	char		 name[0];
 };
 
@@ -206,6 +207,17 @@ void dso__set_long_name(struct dso *dso, const char *name, bool name_allocated);
 
 int dso__name_len(const struct dso *dso);
 
+struct dso *dso__get(struct dso *dso);
+void dso__put(struct dso *dso);
+
+static inline void __dso__zput(struct dso **dso)
+{
+	dso__put(*dso);
+	*dso = NULL;
+}
+
+#define dso__zput(dso) __dso__zput(&dso)
+
 bool dso__loaded(const struct dso *dso, enum map_type type);
 
 bool dso__sorted_by_name(const struct dso *dso, enum map_type type);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/header.c b/tools/perf/util/header.c
index ac5aaaeed7ffd515d882a14eb329d0dd383f88b7..21a77e7a171e8aa0664d5caf0737f141bc96e62f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/header.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/header.c
@@ -1277,6 +1277,7 @@ static int __event_process_build_id(struct build_id_event *bev,
 				  sbuild_id);
 		pr_debug("build id event received for %s: %s\n",
 			 dso->long_name, sbuild_id);
+		dso__put(dso);
 	}
 
 	err = 0;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/machine.c b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
index 0cf56d6f073ad2c527b3f95a91b66bdff6b5e591..132e357651019911a9d7eb83b491650fe4dddd94 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/machine.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ struct machine *machine__new_host(void)
 	return NULL;
 }
 
-static void dsos__exit(struct dsos *dsos)
+static void dsos__purge(struct dsos *dsos)
 {
 	struct dso *pos, *n;
 
@@ -90,12 +90,16 @@ static void dsos__exit(struct dsos *dsos)
 
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(pos, n, &dsos->head, node) {
 		RB_CLEAR_NODE(&pos->rb_node);
-		list_del(&pos->node);
-		dso__delete(pos);
+		list_del_init(&pos->node);
+		dso__put(pos);
 	}
 
 	pthread_rwlock_unlock(&dsos->lock);
+}
 
+static void dsos__exit(struct dsos *dsos)
+{
+	dsos__purge(dsos);
 	pthread_rwlock_destroy(&dsos->lock);
 }
 
@@ -524,6 +528,7 @@ static struct dso *machine__findnew_module_dso(struct machine *machine,
 		dso__set_long_name(dso, strdup(filename), true);
 	}
 
+	dso__get(dso);
 out_unlock:
 	pthread_rwlock_unlock(&machine->dsos.lock);
 	return dso;
@@ -1205,8 +1210,10 @@ static int machine__process_kernel_mmap_event(struct machine *machine,
 			goto out_problem;
 
 		kernel->kernel = kernel_type;
-		if (__machine__create_kernel_maps(machine, kernel) < 0)
+		if (__machine__create_kernel_maps(machine, kernel) < 0) {
+			dso__put(kernel);
 			goto out_problem;
+		}
 
 		if (strstr(kernel->long_name, "vmlinux"))
 			dso__set_short_name(kernel, "[kernel.vmlinux]", false);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/map.c b/tools/perf/util/map.c
index 365011c233a68864a909c6480d4c5a6b99258f85..1241ab989cf5d72d46b0f9493770c837d557f32e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/map.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/map.c
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ void map__init(struct map *map, enum map_type type,
 	map->end      = end;
 	map->pgoff    = pgoff;
 	map->reloc    = 0;
-	map->dso      = dso;
+	map->dso      = dso__get(dso);
 	map->map_ip   = map__map_ip;
 	map->unmap_ip = map__unmap_ip;
 	RB_CLEAR_NODE(&map->rb_node);
@@ -198,6 +198,7 @@ struct map *map__new(struct machine *machine, u64 start, u64 len,
 			if (type != MAP__FUNCTION)
 				dso__set_loaded(dso, map->type);
 		}
+		dso__put(dso);
 	}
 	return map;
 out_delete:
@@ -224,9 +225,15 @@ struct map *map__new2(u64 start, struct dso *dso, enum map_type type)
 	return map;
 }
 
-void map__delete(struct map *map)
+static void map__exit(struct map *map)
 {
 	BUG_ON(!RB_EMPTY_NODE(&map->rb_node));
+	dso__zput(map->dso);
+}
+
+void map__delete(struct map *map)
+{
+	map__exit(map);
 	free(map);
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/probe-finder.c b/tools/perf/util/probe-finder.c
index c50da392e2562a377e3efa9464e257f27075bcea..2da65a7108932857bd585681eb0fac195f0c850b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/probe-finder.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/probe-finder.c
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ struct debuginfo *debuginfo__new(const char *path)
 			continue;
 		dinfo = __debuginfo__new(buf);
 	}
-	dso__delete(dso);
+	dso__put(dso);
 
 out:
 	/* if failed to open all distro debuginfo, open given binary */
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/symbol-elf.c b/tools/perf/util/symbol-elf.c
index a93ba85509b2875f6ad1c76799219f0a44c221d3..65f7e389ae0996cae131cbfbcd2196181f15f1e7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/symbol-elf.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/symbol-elf.c
@@ -1016,7 +1016,7 @@ int dso__load_sym(struct dso *dso, struct map *map,
 				curr_map = map__new2(start, curr_dso,
 						     map->type);
 				if (curr_map == NULL) {
-					dso__delete(curr_dso);
+					dso__put(curr_dso);
 					goto out_elf_end;
 				}
 				if (adjust_kernel_syms) {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/symbol.c b/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
index eaee5d32d39dc3dfa38d46eeabbfb7bca5e356c7..504f2d73b7eefe2699349ac75c5cc3b875961375 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/symbol.c
@@ -786,7 +786,7 @@ static int dso__split_kallsyms(struct dso *dso, struct map *map, u64 delta,
 
 			curr_map = map__new2(pos->start, ndso, map->type);
 			if (curr_map == NULL) {
-				dso__delete(ndso);
+				dso__put(ndso);
 				return -1;
 			}
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/vdso.c b/tools/perf/util/vdso.c
index c646c74c34f8420e63a9a2d7d3c2b15e937d8434..4b89118f158db458ae29cca6d20b093d81392cf6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/vdso.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/vdso.c
@@ -314,6 +314,7 @@ struct dso *machine__findnew_vdso(struct machine *machine,
 	}
 
 out_unlock:
+	dso__get(dso);
 	pthread_rwlock_unlock(&machine->dsos.lock);
 	return dso;
 }