diff --git a/kernel/sched/core.c b/kernel/sched/core.c
index 615953141951..10a8faa1b0d4 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/core.c
+++ b/kernel/sched/core.c
@@ -2517,11 +2517,11 @@ static struct rq *finish_task_switch(struct task_struct *prev)
 	 * If a task dies, then it sets TASK_DEAD in tsk->state and calls
 	 * schedule one last time. The schedule call will never return, and
 	 * the scheduled task must drop that reference.
-	 * The test for TASK_DEAD must occur while the runqueue locks are
-	 * still held, otherwise prev could be scheduled on another cpu, die
-	 * there before we look at prev->state, and then the reference would
-	 * be dropped twice.
-	 *		Manfred Spraul <manfred@colorfullife.com>
+	 *
+	 * We must observe prev->state before clearing prev->on_cpu (in
+	 * finish_lock_switch), otherwise a concurrent wakeup can get prev
+	 * running on another CPU and we could rave with its RUNNING -> DEAD
+	 * transition, resulting in a double drop.
 	 */
 	prev_state = prev->state;
 	vtime_task_switch(prev);
diff --git a/kernel/sched/sched.h b/kernel/sched/sched.h
index 68cda117574c..6d2a119c7ad9 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/sched.h
+++ b/kernel/sched/sched.h
@@ -1078,9 +1078,10 @@ static inline void finish_lock_switch(struct rq *rq, struct task_struct *prev)
 	 * After ->on_cpu is cleared, the task can be moved to a different CPU.
 	 * We must ensure this doesn't happen until the switch is completely
 	 * finished.
+	 *
+	 * Pairs with the control dependency and rmb in try_to_wake_up().
 	 */
-	smp_wmb();
-	prev->on_cpu = 0;
+	smp_store_release(&prev->on_cpu, 0);
 #endif
 #ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_SPINLOCK
 	/* this is a valid case when another task releases the spinlock */