diff --git a/drivers/nvme/target/configfs.c b/drivers/nvme/target/configfs.c
index 6f5074153dcd9ea921f35751bbd622c18f227e49..be8c800078e2a6cbffa43208aa0326994d8e4bf5 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/target/configfs.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/target/configfs.c
@@ -631,6 +631,7 @@ static void nvmet_subsys_release(struct config_item *item)
 {
 	struct nvmet_subsys *subsys = to_subsys(item);
 
+	nvmet_subsys_del_ctrls(subsys);
 	nvmet_subsys_put(subsys);
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/nvme/target/core.c b/drivers/nvme/target/core.c
index b1d66ed655c9ec36261fb4d31bca06555cccca39..4a367549eb9365ee6be47ad057700ce2c7a3fbae 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/target/core.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/target/core.c
@@ -935,6 +935,16 @@ static void nvmet_subsys_free(struct kref *ref)
 	kfree(subsys);
 }
 
+void nvmet_subsys_del_ctrls(struct nvmet_subsys *subsys)
+{
+	struct nvmet_ctrl *ctrl;
+
+	mutex_lock(&subsys->lock);
+	list_for_each_entry(ctrl, &subsys->ctrls, subsys_entry)
+		ctrl->ops->delete_ctrl(ctrl);
+	mutex_unlock(&subsys->lock);
+}
+
 void nvmet_subsys_put(struct nvmet_subsys *subsys)
 {
 	kref_put(&subsys->ref, nvmet_subsys_free);
diff --git a/drivers/nvme/target/nvmet.h b/drivers/nvme/target/nvmet.h
index 23d5eb1c944f64c485fef8551a41a72151492f2c..cc7ad06b43a78a029dd76fac575c3f6ee57c9e92 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/target/nvmet.h
+++ b/drivers/nvme/target/nvmet.h
@@ -282,6 +282,7 @@ void nvmet_ctrl_put(struct nvmet_ctrl *ctrl);
 struct nvmet_subsys *nvmet_subsys_alloc(const char *subsysnqn,
 		enum nvme_subsys_type type);
 void nvmet_subsys_put(struct nvmet_subsys *subsys);
+void nvmet_subsys_del_ctrls(struct nvmet_subsys *subsys);
 
 struct nvmet_ns *nvmet_find_namespace(struct nvmet_ctrl *ctrl, __le32 nsid);
 void nvmet_put_namespace(struct nvmet_ns *ns);