lockdep_assert_held(&subsys->lock);
 
        list_for_each_entry(h, &subsys->nsheads, entry) {
-               if (h->ns_id == nsid && nvme_tryget_ns_head(h))
+               if (h->ns_id != nsid)
+                       continue;
+               if (!list_empty(&h->list) && nvme_tryget_ns_head(h))
                        return h;
        }
 
 
        mutex_lock(&ns->ctrl->subsys->lock);
        list_del_rcu(&ns->siblings);
+       if (list_empty(&ns->head->list)) {
+               list_del_init(&ns->head->entry);
+               last_path = true;
+       }
        mutex_unlock(&ns->ctrl->subsys->lock);
 
        /* guarantee not available in head->list */
        list_del_init(&ns->list);
        up_write(&ns->ctrl->namespaces_rwsem);
 
-       /* Synchronize with nvme_init_ns_head() */
-       mutex_lock(&ns->head->subsys->lock);
-       if (list_empty(&ns->head->list)) {
-               list_del_init(&ns->head->entry);
-               last_path = true;
-       }
-       mutex_unlock(&ns->head->subsys->lock);
        if (last_path)
                nvme_mpath_shutdown_disk(ns->head);
        nvme_put_ns(ns);