diff --git a/drivers/base/core.c b/drivers/base/core.c
index fd7511e04e62..eaf3aa0cb803 100644
--- a/drivers/base/core.c
+++ b/drivers/base/core.c
@@ -2211,6 +2211,24 @@ void put_device(struct device *dev)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(put_device);
 
+bool kill_device(struct device *dev)
+{
+	/*
+	 * Require the device lock and set the "dead" flag to guarantee that
+	 * the update behavior is consistent with the other bitfields near
+	 * it and that we cannot have an asynchronous probe routine trying
+	 * to run while we are tearing out the bus/class/sysfs from
+	 * underneath the device.
+	 */
+	lockdep_assert_held(&dev->mutex);
+
+	if (dev->p->dead)
+		return false;
+	dev->p->dead = true;
+	return true;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(kill_device);
+
 /**
  * device_del - delete device from system.
  * @dev: device.
@@ -2230,15 +2248,8 @@ void device_del(struct device *dev)
 	struct kobject *glue_dir = NULL;
 	struct class_interface *class_intf;
 
-	/*
-	 * Hold the device lock and set the "dead" flag to guarantee that
-	 * the update behavior is consistent with the other bitfields near
-	 * it and that we cannot have an asynchronous probe routine trying
-	 * to run while we are tearing out the bus/class/sysfs from
-	 * underneath the device.
-	 */
 	device_lock(dev);
-	dev->p->dead = true;
+	kill_device(dev);
 	device_unlock(dev);
 
 	/* Notify clients of device removal.  This call must come
diff --git a/include/linux/device.h b/include/linux/device.h
index e85264fb6616..0da5c67f6be1 100644
--- a/include/linux/device.h
+++ b/include/linux/device.h
@@ -1373,6 +1373,7 @@ extern int (*platform_notify_remove)(struct device *dev);
  */
 extern struct device *get_device(struct device *dev);
 extern void put_device(struct device *dev);
+extern bool kill_device(struct device *dev);
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_DEVTMPFS
 extern int devtmpfs_create_node(struct device *dev);