diff --git a/tools/perf/util/build-id.c b/tools/perf/util/build-id.c
index f7fb2587df693a2f5261812d101917cc3d3450bb..61867dff5d5aa6dea4079d060514f1bd57a63630 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/build-id.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/build-id.c
@@ -59,12 +59,8 @@ static int perf_event__exit_del_thread(struct perf_tool *tool __maybe_unused,
 	dump_printf("(%d:%d):(%d:%d)\n", event->fork.pid, event->fork.tid,
 		    event->fork.ppid, event->fork.ptid);
 
-	if (thread) {
-		rb_erase(&thread->rb_node, &machine->threads);
-		if (machine->last_match == thread)
-			thread__zput(machine->last_match);
-		thread__put(thread);
-	}
+	if (thread)
+		machine__remove_thread(machine, thread);
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/machine.c b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
index 9c380a2caa541c1a1816974618d8e645c9be9288..527e032e24f6e648e258b08b379e55fc6dcf8e5a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/machine.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@
 #include "unwind.h"
 #include "linux/hash.h"
 
-static void machine__remove_thread(struct machine *machine, struct thread *th);
-
 static void dsos__init(struct dsos *dsos)
 {
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&dsos->head);
@@ -1256,7 +1254,7 @@ int machine__process_mmap_event(struct machine *machine, union perf_event *event
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void machine__remove_thread(struct machine *machine, struct thread *th)
+void machine__remove_thread(struct machine *machine, struct thread *th)
 {
 	if (machine->last_match == th)
 		thread__zput(machine->last_match);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/machine.h b/tools/perf/util/machine.h
index e2faf3b47e7bf5be277758a5ff0a425336d1a19b..6d64cedb9d1e8f6fb255068b27761f6c52735b5e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/machine.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/machine.h
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ int machine__init(struct machine *machine, const char *root_dir, pid_t pid);
 void machine__exit(struct machine *machine);
 void machine__delete_threads(struct machine *machine);
 void machine__delete(struct machine *machine);
+void machine__remove_thread(struct machine *machine, struct thread *th);
 
 struct branch_info *sample__resolve_bstack(struct perf_sample *sample,
 					   struct addr_location *al);