diff --git a/sys/compat/linuxkpi/common/include/linux/cdev.h b/sys/compat/linuxkpi/common/include/linux/cdev.h
index 2a472da9186..bdfb7e76c9a 100644
--- a/sys/compat/linuxkpi/common/include/linux/cdev.h
+++ b/sys/compat/linuxkpi/common/include/linux/cdev.h
@@ -135,13 +135,9 @@ cdev_add_ext(struct linux_cdev *cdev, dev_t dev, uid_t uid, gid_t gid, int mode)
 	return (0);
 }
 
-void linux_destroy_dev(struct linux_cdev *);
-
 static inline void
 cdev_del(struct linux_cdev *cdev)
 {
-
-	linux_destroy_dev(cdev);
 	kobject_put(&cdev->kobj);
 }
 
diff --git a/sys/compat/linuxkpi/common/src/linux_compat.c b/sys/compat/linuxkpi/common/src/linux_compat.c
index 8fe4f450957..35535eb75ab 100644
--- a/sys/compat/linuxkpi/common/src/linux_compat.c
+++ b/sys/compat/linuxkpi/common/src/linux_compat.c
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ MALLOC_DEFINE(M_KMALLOC, "linux", "Linux kmalloc compat");
 #undef cdev
 #define	RB_ROOT(head)	(head)->rbh_root
 
+static void linux_destroy_dev(struct linux_cdev *);
 static void linux_cdev_deref(struct linux_cdev *ldev);
 static struct vm_area_struct *linux_cdev_handle_find(void *handle);
 
@@ -2234,7 +2235,7 @@ linux_cdev_static_release(struct kobject *kobj)
 	kobject_put(kobj->parent);
 }
 
-void
+static void
 linux_destroy_dev(struct linux_cdev *ldev)
 {