diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssagen/ssa.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssagen/ssa.go
index 7a6bf878e1..659ba02b5b 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssagen/ssa.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssagen/ssa.go
@@ -535,7 +535,7 @@ func buildssa(fn *ir.Func, worker int) *ssa.Func {
 	}
 
 	// Populate closure variables.
-	if !fn.ClosureCalled() {
+	if fn.Needctxt() {
 		clo := s.entryNewValue0(ssa.OpGetClosurePtr, s.f.Config.Types.BytePtr)
 		offset := int64(types.PtrSize) // PtrSize to skip past function entry PC field
 		for _, n := range fn.ClosureVars {
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/walk/order.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/walk/order.go
index c24f80508a..75657cd3e4 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/walk/order.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/walk/order.go
@@ -1566,7 +1566,6 @@ func (o *orderState) wrapGoDefer(n *ir.GoDeferStmt) {
 	if len(callArgs) == 0 && call.Op() == ir.OCALLFUNC && callX.Type().NumResults() == 0 {
 		if callX.Op() == ir.OCLOSURE {
 			clo := callX.(*ir.ClosureExpr)
-			clo.Func.SetClosureCalled(false)
 			clo.IsGoWrap = true
 		}
 		return
@@ -1691,12 +1690,6 @@ func (o *orderState) wrapGoDefer(n *ir.GoDeferStmt) {
 			// Deal with "defer returnsafunc()(x, y)" (for
 			// example) by copying the callee expression.
 			fnExpr = mkArgCopy(callX)
-			if callX.Op() == ir.OCLOSURE {
-				// For "defer func(...)", in addition to copying the
-				// closure into a temp, mark it as no longer directly
-				// called.
-				callX.(*ir.ClosureExpr).Func.SetClosureCalled(false)
-			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1770,8 +1763,6 @@ func (o *orderState) wrapGoDefer(n *ir.GoDeferStmt) {
 	topcall := ir.NewCallExpr(n.Pos(), ir.OCALL, clo, nil)
 	typecheck.Call(topcall)
 
-	fn.SetClosureCalled(false)
-
 	// Finally, point the defer statement at the newly generated call.
 	n.Call = topcall
 }