} else {
                h_attr = perf_header_attr__new(a);
                if (h_attr != NULL)
-                       perf_header__add_attr(header, h_attr);
+                       if (perf_header__add_attr(header, h_attr) < 0) {
+                               perf_header_attr__delete(h_attr);
+                               h_attr = NULL;
+                       }
        }
 
        return h_attr;
 
        return self;
 }
 
+void perf_header_attr__delete(struct perf_header_attr *self)
+{
+       free(self->id);
+       free(self);
+}
+
 void perf_header_attr__add_id(struct perf_header_attr *self, u64 id)
 {
        int pos = self->ids;
        return self;
 }
 
-void perf_header__add_attr(struct perf_header *self,
-                          struct perf_header_attr *attr)
+int perf_header__add_attr(struct perf_header *self,
+                         struct perf_header_attr *attr)
 {
        int pos = self->attrs;
 
        if (self->frozen)
-               die("frozen");
+               return -1;
 
        self->attrs++;
        if (self->attrs > self->size) {
-               self->size *= 2;
-               self->attr = realloc(self->attr, self->size * sizeof(void *));
-               if (!self->attr)
-                       die("nomem");
+               int nsize = self->size * 2;
+               struct perf_header_attr **nattr;
+
+               nattr = realloc(self->attr, nsize * sizeof(void *));
+               if (nattr == NULL)
+                       return -1;
+
+               self->size = nsize;
+               self->attr = nattr;
        }
        self->attr[pos] = attr;
+       return 0;
 }
 
 #define MAX_EVENT_NAME 64
 
                        perf_header_attr__add_id(attr, f_id);
                }
-               perf_header__add_attr(self, attr);
+               if (perf_header__add_attr(self, attr) < 0)
+                        die("nomem");
+
                lseek(fd, tmp, SEEK_SET);
        }
 
 
 struct perf_header *perf_header__read(int fd);
 void perf_header__write(struct perf_header *self, int fd, bool at_exit);
 
-void perf_header__add_attr(struct perf_header *self,
-                          struct perf_header_attr *attr);
+int perf_header__add_attr(struct perf_header *self,
+                         struct perf_header_attr *attr);
 
 void perf_header__push_event(u64 id, const char *name);
 char *perf_header__find_event(u64 id);
 
 struct perf_header_attr *perf_header_attr__new(struct perf_event_attr *attr);
+void perf_header_attr__delete(struct perf_header_attr *self);
+
 void perf_header_attr__add_id(struct perf_header_attr *self, u64 id);
 
 u64 perf_header__sample_type(struct perf_header *header);