diff --git a/include/linux/perf_event.h b/include/linux/perf_event.h
index c8e375440403de53f6deb7be5e5ad3d0b0bb84e6..bf8f3c00329733b55fcad079ec419ba3ec1f2377 100644
--- a/include/linux/perf_event.h
+++ b/include/linux/perf_event.h
@@ -522,6 +522,7 @@ struct pmu {
  * enum perf_event_active_state - the states of a event
  */
 enum perf_event_active_state {
+	PERF_EVENT_STATE_FREE		= -3,
 	PERF_EVENT_STATE_ERROR		= -2,
 	PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF		= -1,
 	PERF_EVENT_STATE_INACTIVE	=  0,
diff --git a/kernel/perf_event.c b/kernel/perf_event.c
index 3d1552d3c12b0b632964f0f5b053bbe6a03e72e0..f13c3db765f4505dba1381542ea23e3e1d187265 100644
--- a/kernel/perf_event.c
+++ b/kernel/perf_event.c
@@ -341,6 +341,9 @@ list_del_event(struct perf_event *event, struct perf_event_context *ctx)
 	if (event->state > PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF)
 		event->state = PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF;
 
+	if (event->state > PERF_EVENT_STATE_FREE)
+		return;
+
 	/*
 	 * If this was a group event with sibling events then
 	 * upgrade the siblings to singleton events by adding them
@@ -1856,6 +1859,8 @@ int perf_event_release_kernel(struct perf_event *event)
 {
 	struct perf_event_context *ctx = event->ctx;
 
+	event->state = PERF_EVENT_STATE_FREE;
+
 	WARN_ON_ONCE(ctx->parent_ctx);
 	mutex_lock(&ctx->mutex);
 	perf_event_remove_from_context(event);