diff --git a/dlls/mshtml/htmlimg.c b/dlls/mshtml/htmlimg.c
index 5d1c665d6c8..be33a71159f 100644
--- a/dlls/mshtml/htmlimg.c
+++ b/dlls/mshtml/htmlimg.c
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
  */
 
 #include <stdarg.h>
+#include <assert.h>
 
 #define COBJMACROS
 
@@ -621,16 +622,6 @@ static HRESULT HTMLImgElement_QI(HTMLDOMNode *iface, REFIID riid, void **ppv)
     return S_OK;
 }
 
-static void HTMLImgElement_destructor(HTMLDOMNode *iface)
-{
-    HTMLImgElement *This = impl_from_HTMLDOMNode(iface);
-
-    if(This->nsimg)
-        nsIDOMHTMLImageElement_Release(This->nsimg);
-
-    HTMLElement_destructor(&This->element.node);
-}
-
 static HRESULT HTMLImgElement_get_readystate(HTMLDOMNode *iface, BSTR *p)
 {
     HTMLImgElement *This = impl_from_HTMLDOMNode(iface);
@@ -640,7 +631,7 @@ static HRESULT HTMLImgElement_get_readystate(HTMLDOMNode *iface, BSTR *p)
 
 static const NodeImplVtbl HTMLImgElementImplVtbl = {
     HTMLImgElement_QI,
-    HTMLImgElement_destructor,
+    HTMLElement_destructor,
     HTMLElement_clone,
     HTMLElement_get_attr_col,
     NULL,
@@ -676,15 +667,14 @@ HRESULT HTMLImgElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode *doc, nsIDOMHTMLElement *nselem,
     ret->IHTMLImgElement_iface.lpVtbl = &HTMLImgElementVtbl;
     ret->element.node.vtbl = &HTMLImgElementImplVtbl;
 
-    nsres = nsIDOMHTMLElement_QueryInterface(nselem, &IID_nsIDOMHTMLImageElement, (void**)&ret->nsimg);
-    if(NS_FAILED(nsres)) {
-        ERR("Could not get nsIDOMHTMLImageElement: %08x\n", nsres);
-        heap_free(ret);
-        return E_FAIL;
-    }
-
     HTMLElement_Init(&ret->element, doc, nselem, &HTMLImgElement_dispex);
 
+    nsres = nsIDOMHTMLElement_QueryInterface(nselem, &IID_nsIDOMHTMLImageElement, (void**)&ret->nsimg);
+
+    /* Share nsimg reference with nsnode */
+    assert(nsres == NS_OK && (nsIDOMNode*)ret->nsimg == ret->element.node.nsnode);
+    nsIDOMNode_Release(ret->element.node.nsnode);
+
     *elem = &ret->element;
     return S_OK;
 }