diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c b/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c
index fa15debcc02be1c8fe1d3419d10dd7c5ab0ff968..ddddef0021a0f8cd94f456969099bc660ec1fdb5 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c
@@ -219,7 +219,8 @@ struct o2hb_region {
 	unsigned		hr_unclean_stop:1,
 				hr_aborted_start:1,
 				hr_item_pinned:1,
-				hr_item_dropped:1;
+				hr_item_dropped:1,
+				hr_node_deleted:1;
 
 	/* protected by the hr_callback_sem */
 	struct task_struct 	*hr_task;
@@ -1078,7 +1079,13 @@ static int o2hb_thread(void *data)
 	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 
 	/* Pin node */
-	o2nm_depend_this_node();
+	ret = o2nm_depend_this_node();
+	if (ret) {
+		mlog(ML_ERROR, "Node has been deleted, ret = %d\n", ret);
+		reg->hr_node_deleted = 1;
+		wake_up(&o2hb_steady_queue);
+		return 0;
+	}
 
 	while (!kthread_should_stop() &&
 	       !reg->hr_unclean_stop && !reg->hr_aborted_start) {
@@ -1787,7 +1794,8 @@ static ssize_t o2hb_region_dev_write(struct o2hb_region *reg,
 	spin_unlock(&o2hb_live_lock);
 
 	ret = wait_event_interruptible(o2hb_steady_queue,
-				atomic_read(&reg->hr_steady_iterations) == 0);
+				atomic_read(&reg->hr_steady_iterations) == 0 ||
+				reg->hr_node_deleted);
 	if (ret) {
 		atomic_set(&reg->hr_steady_iterations, 0);
 		reg->hr_aborted_start = 1;
@@ -1798,6 +1806,11 @@ static ssize_t o2hb_region_dev_write(struct o2hb_region *reg,
 		goto out3;
 	}
 
+	if (reg->hr_node_deleted) {
+		ret = -EINVAL;
+		goto out3;
+	}
+
 	/* Ok, we were woken.  Make sure it wasn't by drop_item() */
 	spin_lock(&o2hb_live_lock);
 	hb_task = reg->hr_task;