diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index e68aee33bc1917b36e62537cf0d7f2c67c49cd2e..052de1780f766c26ae2b28524ce32ad29fbb2220 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -965,8 +965,6 @@ int cmd_record(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __used)
 out_free_event_array:
 	free(event_array);
 out_free_fd:
-	list_for_each_entry(pos, &evsel_list, node)
-		perf_evsel__free_fd(pos);
 	free(all_tids);
 	all_tids = NULL;
 out_symbol_exit:
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
index 3e5f356a5241ca9fc414b4a2da4fcee4248f87c3..589ba3a92423a247943c5a5b78d10357c9567e81 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
@@ -844,10 +844,8 @@ int cmd_stat(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __used)
 	if (status != -1)
 		print_stat(argc, argv);
 out_free_fd:
-	list_for_each_entry(pos, &evsel_list, node) {
-		perf_evsel__free_fd(pos);
+	list_for_each_entry(pos, &evsel_list, node)
 		perf_evsel__free_stat_priv(pos);
-	}
 out:
 	return status;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index 13a836efa1e1e9ae7d64087b0a317d85874895e0..27b9c14a0a071e34c3573150d5fceaad0a58b94f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -1495,10 +1495,8 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __used)
 
 	status = __cmd_top();
 out_free_fd:
-	list_for_each_entry(pos, &evsel_list, node) {
-		perf_evsel__free_fd(pos);
+	list_for_each_entry(pos, &evsel_list, node)
 		perf_evsel__free_mmap(pos);
-	}
 
 	return status;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/perf.c b/tools/perf/perf.c
index 595d0f4a7103eb45ccac7b5ad47fd3ebfee8ab0d..5b1ecd66bb36a053b6427020f9aa3361d4ec1265 100644
--- a/tools/perf/perf.c
+++ b/tools/perf/perf.c
@@ -286,6 +286,8 @@ static int run_builtin(struct cmd_struct *p, int argc, const char **argv)
 	status = p->fn(argc, argv, prefix);
 	exit_browser(status);
 
+	perf_evsel_list__delete();
+
 	if (status)
 		return status & 0xff;
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
index 2d948ad471f46ff2dadd3632984d3054c1ef713c..3a142e90d60937250c33b9bc7158d6465d7850cc 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
@@ -982,3 +982,14 @@ int perf_evsel_list__create_default(void)
 	++nr_counters;
 	return 0;
 }
+
+void perf_evsel_list__delete(void)
+{
+	struct perf_evsel *pos, *n;
+
+	list_for_each_entry_safe(pos, n, &evsel_list, node) {
+		list_del_init(&pos->node);
+		perf_evsel__delete(pos);
+	}
+	nr_counters = 0;
+}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h
index 0f915a01a3f732525a9e3f467971aa11dfe8eb45..0a0abc1d10eb2e838997ec69422fc74f76bb80c8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ struct perf_evsel;
 extern struct list_head evsel_list;
 
 int perf_evsel_list__create_default(void);
+void perf_evsel_list__delete(void);
 
 struct option;