diff --git a/include/linux/perf_event.h b/include/linux/perf_event.h
index 7602ccb3f40e..ad04dfcd6f35 100644
--- a/include/linux/perf_event.h
+++ b/include/linux/perf_event.h
@@ -926,7 +926,7 @@ struct perf_event {
 	struct hw_perf_event		hw;
 
 	struct perf_event_context	*ctx;
-	struct file			*filp;
+	atomic_long_t			refcount;
 
 	/*
 	 * These accumulate total time (in nanoseconds) that children
diff --git a/kernel/events/core.c b/kernel/events/core.c
index b7935fcec7d9..efef4282b8e8 100644
--- a/kernel/events/core.c
+++ b/kernel/events/core.c
@@ -2935,12 +2935,12 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(perf_event_release_kernel);
 /*
  * Called when the last reference to the file is gone.
  */
-static int perf_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
+static void put_event(struct perf_event *event)
 {
-	struct perf_event *event = file->private_data;
 	struct task_struct *owner;
 
-	file->private_data = NULL;
+	if (!atomic_long_dec_and_test(&event->refcount))
+		return;
 
 	rcu_read_lock();
 	owner = ACCESS_ONCE(event->owner);
@@ -2975,7 +2975,13 @@ static int perf_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
 		put_task_struct(owner);
 	}
 
-	return perf_event_release_kernel(event);
+	perf_event_release_kernel(event);
+}
+
+static int perf_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
+{
+	put_event(file->private_data);
+	return 0;
 }
 
 u64 perf_event_read_value(struct perf_event *event, u64 *enabled, u64 *running)
@@ -3227,7 +3233,7 @@ unlock:
 
 static const struct file_operations perf_fops;
 
-static struct perf_event *perf_fget_light(int fd, int *fput_needed)
+static struct file *perf_fget_light(int fd, int *fput_needed)
 {
 	struct file *file;
 
@@ -3241,7 +3247,7 @@ static struct perf_event *perf_fget_light(int fd, int *fput_needed)
 		return ERR_PTR(-EBADF);
 	}
 
-	return file->private_data;
+	return file;
 }
 
 static int perf_event_set_output(struct perf_event *event,
@@ -3273,19 +3279,21 @@ static long perf_ioctl(struct file *file, unsigned int cmd, unsigned long arg)
 
 	case PERF_EVENT_IOC_SET_OUTPUT:
 	{
+		struct file *output_file = NULL;
 		struct perf_event *output_event = NULL;
 		int fput_needed = 0;
 		int ret;
 
 		if (arg != -1) {
-			output_event = perf_fget_light(arg, &fput_needed);
-			if (IS_ERR(output_event))
-				return PTR_ERR(output_event);
+			output_file = perf_fget_light(arg, &fput_needed);
+			if (IS_ERR(output_file))
+				return PTR_ERR(output_file);
+			output_event = output_file->private_data;
 		}
 
 		ret = perf_event_set_output(event, output_event);
 		if (output_event)
-			fput_light(output_event->filp, fput_needed);
+			fput_light(output_file, fput_needed);
 
 		return ret;
 	}
@@ -5950,6 +5958,7 @@ perf_event_alloc(struct perf_event_attr *attr, int cpu,
 
 	mutex_init(&event->mmap_mutex);
 
+	atomic_long_set(&event->refcount, 1);
 	event->cpu		= cpu;
 	event->attr		= *attr;
 	event->group_leader	= group_leader;
@@ -6260,12 +6269,12 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE5(perf_event_open,
 		return event_fd;
 
 	if (group_fd != -1) {
-		group_leader = perf_fget_light(group_fd, &fput_needed);
-		if (IS_ERR(group_leader)) {
-			err = PTR_ERR(group_leader);
+		group_file = perf_fget_light(group_fd, &fput_needed);
+		if (IS_ERR(group_file)) {
+			err = PTR_ERR(group_file);
 			goto err_fd;
 		}
-		group_file = group_leader->filp;
+		group_leader = group_file->private_data;
 		if (flags & PERF_FLAG_FD_OUTPUT)
 			output_event = group_leader;
 		if (flags & PERF_FLAG_FD_NO_GROUP)
@@ -6402,7 +6411,6 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE5(perf_event_open,
 		put_ctx(gctx);
 	}
 
-	event->filp = event_file;
 	WARN_ON_ONCE(ctx->parent_ctx);
 	mutex_lock(&ctx->mutex);
 
@@ -6496,7 +6504,6 @@ perf_event_create_kernel_counter(struct perf_event_attr *attr, int cpu,
 		goto err_free;
 	}
 
-	event->filp = NULL;
 	WARN_ON_ONCE(ctx->parent_ctx);
 	mutex_lock(&ctx->mutex);
 	perf_install_in_context(ctx, event, cpu);
@@ -6578,7 +6585,7 @@ static void sync_child_event(struct perf_event *child_event,
 	 * Release the parent event, if this was the last
 	 * reference to it.
 	 */
-	fput(parent_event->filp);
+	put_event(parent_event);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -6654,9 +6661,8 @@ static void perf_event_exit_task_context(struct task_struct *child, int ctxn)
 	 *
 	 *   __perf_event_exit_task()
 	 *     sync_child_event()
-	 *       fput(parent_event->filp)
-	 *         perf_release()
-	 *           mutex_lock(&ctx->mutex)
+	 *       put_event()
+	 *         mutex_lock(&ctx->mutex)
 	 *
 	 * But since its the parent context it won't be the same instance.
 	 */
@@ -6724,7 +6730,7 @@ static void perf_free_event(struct perf_event *event,
 	list_del_init(&event->child_list);
 	mutex_unlock(&parent->child_mutex);
 
-	fput(parent->filp);
+	put_event(parent);
 
 	perf_group_detach(event);
 	list_del_event(event, ctx);
@@ -6804,6 +6810,12 @@ inherit_event(struct perf_event *parent_event,
 				           NULL, NULL);
 	if (IS_ERR(child_event))
 		return child_event;
+
+	if (!atomic_long_inc_not_zero(&parent_event->refcount)) {
+		free_event(child_event);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
 	get_ctx(child_ctx);
 
 	/*
@@ -6844,14 +6856,6 @@ inherit_event(struct perf_event *parent_event,
 	add_event_to_ctx(child_event, child_ctx);
 	raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore(&child_ctx->lock, flags);
 
-	/*
-	 * Get a reference to the parent filp - we will fput it
-	 * when the child event exits. This is safe to do because
-	 * we are in the parent and we know that the filp still
-	 * exists and has a nonzero count:
-	 */
-	atomic_long_inc(&parent_event->filp->f_count);
-
 	/*
 	 * Link this into the parent event's child list
 	 */