diff --git a/drivers/nvme/host/fc.c b/drivers/nvme/host/fc.c
index 2edae54688e8..92964cef0f4b 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/host/fc.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/host/fc.c
@@ -2806,6 +2806,7 @@ nvme_fc_init_ctrl(struct device *dev, struct nvmf_ctrl_options *opts,
 		ctrl->ctrl.opts = NULL;
 		/* initiate nvme ctrl ref counting teardown */
 		nvme_uninit_ctrl(&ctrl->ctrl);
+		nvme_put_ctrl(&ctrl->ctrl);
 
 		/* as we're past the point where we transition to the ref
 		 * counting teardown path, if we return a bad pointer here,