diff --git a/include/linux/nmi.h b/include/linux/nmi.h
index a8dfb38c9bb6..e78fa535f61d 100644
--- a/include/linux/nmi.h
+++ b/include/linux/nmi.h
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 void lockup_detector_init(void);
 void lockup_detector_retry_init(void);
 void lockup_detector_soft_poweroff(void);
-void lockup_detector_cleanup(void);
 
 extern int watchdog_user_enabled;
 extern int watchdog_thresh;
@@ -37,7 +36,6 @@ extern int sysctl_hardlockup_all_cpu_backtrace;
 static inline void lockup_detector_init(void) { }
 static inline void lockup_detector_retry_init(void) { }
 static inline void lockup_detector_soft_poweroff(void) { }
-static inline void lockup_detector_cleanup(void) { }
 #endif /* !CONFIG_LOCKUP_DETECTOR */
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_SOFTLOCKUP_DETECTOR
@@ -104,12 +102,10 @@ void watchdog_hardlockup_check(unsigned int cpu, struct pt_regs *regs);
 #if defined(CONFIG_HARDLOCKUP_DETECTOR_PERF)
 extern void hardlockup_detector_perf_stop(void);
 extern void hardlockup_detector_perf_restart(void);
-extern void hardlockup_detector_perf_cleanup(void);
 extern void hardlockup_config_perf_event(const char *str);
 #else
 static inline void hardlockup_detector_perf_stop(void) { }
 static inline void hardlockup_detector_perf_restart(void) { }
-static inline void hardlockup_detector_perf_cleanup(void) { }
 static inline void hardlockup_config_perf_event(const char *str) { }
 #endif
 
diff --git a/kernel/cpu.c b/kernel/cpu.c
index 07455d25329c..ad755db29efd 100644
--- a/kernel/cpu.c
+++ b/kernel/cpu.c
@@ -1453,11 +1453,6 @@ static int __ref _cpu_down(unsigned int cpu, int tasks_frozen,
 
 out:
 	cpus_write_unlock();
-	/*
-	 * Do post unplug cleanup. This is still protected against
-	 * concurrent CPU hotplug via cpu_add_remove_lock.
-	 */
-	lockup_detector_cleanup();
 	arch_smt_update();
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/kernel/watchdog.c b/kernel/watchdog.c
index b2da7de39d06..18156023e461 100644
--- a/kernel/watchdog.c
+++ b/kernel/watchdog.c
@@ -347,8 +347,6 @@ static int __init watchdog_thresh_setup(char *str)
 }
 __setup("watchdog_thresh=", watchdog_thresh_setup);
 
-static void __lockup_detector_cleanup(void);
-
 #ifdef CONFIG_SOFTLOCKUP_DETECTOR_INTR_STORM
 enum stats_per_group {
 	STATS_SYSTEM,
@@ -886,11 +884,6 @@ static void __lockup_detector_reconfigure(void)
 
 	watchdog_hardlockup_start();
 	cpus_read_unlock();
-	/*
-	 * Must be called outside the cpus locked section to prevent
-	 * recursive locking in the perf code.
-	 */
-	__lockup_detector_cleanup();
 }
 
 void lockup_detector_reconfigure(void)
@@ -940,24 +933,6 @@ static inline void lockup_detector_setup(void)
 }
 #endif /* !CONFIG_SOFTLOCKUP_DETECTOR */
 
-static void __lockup_detector_cleanup(void)
-{
-	lockdep_assert_held(&watchdog_mutex);
-	hardlockup_detector_perf_cleanup();
-}
-
-/**
- * lockup_detector_cleanup - Cleanup after cpu hotplug or sysctl changes
- *
- * Caller must not hold the cpu hotplug rwsem.
- */
-void lockup_detector_cleanup(void)
-{
-	mutex_lock(&watchdog_mutex);
-	__lockup_detector_cleanup();
-	mutex_unlock(&watchdog_mutex);
-}
-
 /**
  * lockup_detector_soft_poweroff - Interface to stop lockup detector(s)
  *
diff --git a/kernel/watchdog_perf.c b/kernel/watchdog_perf.c
index 59c1d86a73a2..2fdb96eaf493 100644
--- a/kernel/watchdog_perf.c
+++ b/kernel/watchdog_perf.c
@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@
 #include <linux/perf_event.h>
 
 static DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct perf_event *, watchdog_ev);
-static DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct perf_event *, dead_event);
-static struct cpumask dead_events_mask;
 
 static atomic_t watchdog_cpus = ATOMIC_INIT(0);
 
@@ -181,36 +179,12 @@ void watchdog_hardlockup_disable(unsigned int cpu)
 
 	if (event) {
 		perf_event_disable(event);
+		perf_event_release_kernel(event);
 		this_cpu_write(watchdog_ev, NULL);
-		this_cpu_write(dead_event, event);
-		cpumask_set_cpu(smp_processor_id(), &dead_events_mask);
 		atomic_dec(&watchdog_cpus);
 	}
 }
 
-/**
- * hardlockup_detector_perf_cleanup - Cleanup disabled events and destroy them
- *
- * Called from lockup_detector_cleanup(). Serialized by the caller.
- */
-void hardlockup_detector_perf_cleanup(void)
-{
-	int cpu;
-
-	for_each_cpu(cpu, &dead_events_mask) {
-		struct perf_event *event = per_cpu(dead_event, cpu);
-
-		/*
-		 * Required because for_each_cpu() reports  unconditionally
-		 * CPU0 as set on UP kernels. Sigh.
-		 */
-		if (event)
-			perf_event_release_kernel(event);
-		per_cpu(dead_event, cpu) = NULL;
-	}
-	cpumask_clear(&dead_events_mask);
-}
-
 /**
  * hardlockup_detector_perf_stop - Globally stop watchdog events
  *