diff --git a/kernel/signal.c b/kernel/signal.c
index 12ffea7c201d..2955f6c4f36e 100644
--- a/kernel/signal.c
+++ b/kernel/signal.c
@@ -1240,18 +1240,22 @@ void sigqueue_free(struct sigqueue *q)
 
 	BUG_ON(!(q->flags & SIGQUEUE_PREALLOC));
 	/*
-	 * If the signal is still pending remove it from the
-	 * pending queue. We must hold ->siglock while testing
-	 * q->list to serialize with collect_signal() or with
+	 * We must hold ->siglock while testing q->list
+	 * to serialize with collect_signal() or with
 	 * __exit_signal()->flush_sigqueue().
 	 */
 	spin_lock_irqsave(lock, flags);
+	q->flags &= ~SIGQUEUE_PREALLOC;
+	/*
+	 * If it is queued it will be freed when dequeued,
+	 * like the "regular" sigqueue.
+	 */
 	if (!list_empty(&q->list))
-		list_del_init(&q->list);
+		q = NULL;
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(lock, flags);
 
-	q->flags &= ~SIGQUEUE_PREALLOC;
-	__sigqueue_free(q);
+	if (q)
+		__sigqueue_free(q);
 }
 
 int send_sigqueue(struct sigqueue *q, struct task_struct *t, int group)