diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gvt/kvmgt.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gvt/kvmgt.c
index 7a45e5360caf..eee6805e67de 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gvt/kvmgt.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gvt/kvmgt.c
@@ -1461,7 +1461,6 @@ static void intel_vgpu_release_dev(struct vfio_device *vfio_dev)
 	struct intel_vgpu *vgpu = vfio_dev_to_vgpu(vfio_dev);
 
 	intel_gvt_destroy_vgpu(vgpu);
-	vfio_free_device(vfio_dev);
 }
 
 static const struct vfio_device_ops intel_vgpu_dev_ops = {
diff --git a/drivers/s390/cio/vfio_ccw_ops.c b/drivers/s390/cio/vfio_ccw_ops.c
index 1155f8bcedd9..598a3814d428 100644
--- a/drivers/s390/cio/vfio_ccw_ops.c
+++ b/drivers/s390/cio/vfio_ccw_ops.c
@@ -143,8 +143,6 @@ static void vfio_ccw_mdev_release_dev(struct vfio_device *vdev)
 	kmem_cache_free(vfio_ccw_io_region, private->io_region);
 	kfree(private->cp.guest_cp);
 	mutex_destroy(&private->io_mutex);
-
-	vfio_free_device(vdev);
 }
 
 static void vfio_ccw_mdev_remove(struct mdev_device *mdev)
diff --git a/drivers/s390/crypto/vfio_ap_ops.c b/drivers/s390/crypto/vfio_ap_ops.c
index 0b4cc8c597ae..f108c0f14712 100644
--- a/drivers/s390/crypto/vfio_ap_ops.c
+++ b/drivers/s390/crypto/vfio_ap_ops.c
@@ -765,11 +765,6 @@ static void vfio_ap_mdev_unlink_fr_queues(struct ap_matrix_mdev *matrix_mdev)
 	}
 }
 
-static void vfio_ap_mdev_release_dev(struct vfio_device *vdev)
-{
-	vfio_free_device(vdev);
-}
-
 static void vfio_ap_mdev_remove(struct mdev_device *mdev)
 {
 	struct ap_matrix_mdev *matrix_mdev = dev_get_drvdata(&mdev->dev);
@@ -1784,7 +1779,6 @@ static const struct attribute_group vfio_queue_attr_group = {
 
 static const struct vfio_device_ops vfio_ap_matrix_dev_ops = {
 	.init = vfio_ap_mdev_init_dev,
-	.release = vfio_ap_mdev_release_dev,
 	.open_device = vfio_ap_mdev_open_device,
 	.close_device = vfio_ap_mdev_close_device,
 	.ioctl = vfio_ap_mdev_ioctl,
diff --git a/drivers/vfio/fsl-mc/vfio_fsl_mc.c b/drivers/vfio/fsl-mc/vfio_fsl_mc.c
index b16874e913e4..7b8889f55007 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/fsl-mc/vfio_fsl_mc.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/fsl-mc/vfio_fsl_mc.c
@@ -568,7 +568,6 @@ static void vfio_fsl_mc_release_dev(struct vfio_device *core_vdev)
 
 	vfio_fsl_uninit_device(vdev);
 	mutex_destroy(&vdev->igate);
-	vfio_free_device(core_vdev);
 }
 
 static int vfio_fsl_mc_remove(struct fsl_mc_device *mc_dev)
diff --git a/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_core.c b/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_core.c
index badc9d828cac..9be2d5be5d95 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_core.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_core.c
@@ -2109,7 +2109,6 @@ void vfio_pci_core_release_dev(struct vfio_device *core_vdev)
 	mutex_destroy(&vdev->vma_lock);
 	kfree(vdev->region);
 	kfree(vdev->pm_save);
-	vfio_free_device(core_vdev);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vfio_pci_core_release_dev);
 
diff --git a/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_amba.c b/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_amba.c
index eaea63e5294c..18faf2678b99 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_amba.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_amba.c
@@ -95,7 +95,6 @@ static void vfio_amba_release_dev(struct vfio_device *core_vdev)
 
 	vfio_platform_release_common(vdev);
 	kfree(vdev->name);
-	vfio_free_device(core_vdev);
 }
 
 static void vfio_amba_remove(struct amba_device *adev)
diff --git a/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_platform.c b/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_platform.c
index 82cedcebfd90..9910451dc341 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_platform.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_platform.c
@@ -83,7 +83,6 @@ static void vfio_platform_release_dev(struct vfio_device *core_vdev)
 		container_of(core_vdev, struct vfio_platform_device, vdev);
 
 	vfio_platform_release_common(vdev);
-	vfio_free_device(core_vdev);
 }
 
 static int vfio_platform_remove(struct platform_device *pdev)
diff --git a/drivers/vfio/vfio_main.c b/drivers/vfio/vfio_main.c
index 2901b8ad5be9..9835757e2bee 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/vfio_main.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/vfio_main.c
@@ -339,13 +339,10 @@ static void vfio_device_release(struct device *dev)
 	vfio_release_device_set(device);
 	ida_free(&vfio.device_ida, device->index);
 
-	/*
-	 * kvfree() cannot be done here due to a life cycle mess in
-	 * vfio-ccw. Before the ccw part is fixed all drivers are
-	 * required to support @release and call vfio_free_device()
-	 * from there.
-	 */
-	device->ops->release(device);
+	if (device->ops->release)
+		device->ops->release(device);
+
+	kvfree(device);
 }
 
 static int vfio_init_device(struct vfio_device *device, struct device *dev,
@@ -424,17 +421,6 @@ static int vfio_init_device(struct vfio_device *device, struct device *dev,
 	return ret;
 }
 
-/*
- * The helper called by driver @release callback to free the device
- * structure. Drivers which don't have private data to clean can
- * simply use this helper as its @release.
- */
-void vfio_free_device(struct vfio_device *device)
-{
-	kvfree(device);
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(vfio_free_device);
-
 static struct vfio_group *vfio_noiommu_group_alloc(struct device *dev,
 		enum vfio_group_type type)
 {
diff --git a/include/linux/vfio.h b/include/linux/vfio.h
index ba809268a48e..e7480154825e 100644
--- a/include/linux/vfio.h
+++ b/include/linux/vfio.h
@@ -176,7 +176,6 @@ struct vfio_device *_vfio_alloc_device(size_t size, struct device *dev,
 					dev, ops),				\
 		     struct dev_struct, member)
 
-void vfio_free_device(struct vfio_device *device);
 static inline void vfio_put_device(struct vfio_device *device)
 {
 	put_device(&device->device);
diff --git a/samples/vfio-mdev/mbochs.c b/samples/vfio-mdev/mbochs.c
index 117a8d799f71..8b5a3a778a25 100644
--- a/samples/vfio-mdev/mbochs.c
+++ b/samples/vfio-mdev/mbochs.c
@@ -594,7 +594,6 @@ static void mbochs_release_dev(struct vfio_device *vdev)
 	atomic_add(mdev_state->type->mbytes, &mbochs_avail_mbytes);
 	kfree(mdev_state->pages);
 	kfree(mdev_state->vconfig);
-	vfio_free_device(vdev);
 }
 
 static void mbochs_remove(struct mdev_device *mdev)
diff --git a/samples/vfio-mdev/mdpy.c b/samples/vfio-mdev/mdpy.c
index 946e8cfde6fd..721fb06c6413 100644
--- a/samples/vfio-mdev/mdpy.c
+++ b/samples/vfio-mdev/mdpy.c
@@ -283,7 +283,6 @@ static void mdpy_release_dev(struct vfio_device *vdev)
 
 	vfree(mdev_state->memblk);
 	kfree(mdev_state->vconfig);
-	vfio_free_device(vdev);
 }
 
 static void mdpy_remove(struct mdev_device *mdev)
diff --git a/samples/vfio-mdev/mtty.c b/samples/vfio-mdev/mtty.c
index e72085fc1376..3c2a421b9b69 100644
--- a/samples/vfio-mdev/mtty.c
+++ b/samples/vfio-mdev/mtty.c
@@ -784,7 +784,6 @@ static void mtty_release_dev(struct vfio_device *vdev)
 
 	atomic_add(mdev_state->nr_ports, &mdev_avail_ports);
 	kfree(mdev_state->vconfig);
-	vfio_free_device(vdev);
 }
 
 static void mtty_remove(struct mdev_device *mdev)
