diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index 4c03bb7a4eb..5411be4cfd7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -221,7 +221,10 @@ static struct perf_header_attr *get_header_attr(struct perf_event_attr *a, int n
 	} 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;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/header.c b/tools/perf/util/header.c
index 2f07a238ffd..23ccddae0b0 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/header.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/header.c
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@ struct perf_header_attr *perf_header_attr__new(struct perf_event_attr *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;
@@ -66,22 +72,28 @@ struct perf_header *perf_header__new(void)
 	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
@@ -434,7 +446,9 @@ struct perf_header *perf_header__read(int fd)
 
 			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);
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/header.h b/tools/perf/util/header.h
index 0cbd4c9e982..b0d5cd707a7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/header.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/header.h
@@ -58,13 +58,15 @@ struct perf_header {
 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);