diff --git a/src/handle_wrap.cc b/src/handle_wrap.cc
index 8ed6b2948dffd9..888640e9493d8e 100644
--- a/src/handle_wrap.cc
+++ b/src/handle_wrap.cc
@@ -72,11 +72,11 @@ void HandleWrap::Close(Local<Value> close_callback) {
   if (state_ != kInitialized)
     return;
 
-  CHECK_EQ(false, persistent().IsEmpty());
   uv_close(handle_, OnClose);
   state_ = kClosing;
 
-  if (!close_callback.IsEmpty() && close_callback->IsFunction()) {
+  if (!close_callback.IsEmpty() && close_callback->IsFunction() &&
+      !persistent().IsEmpty()) {
     object()->Set(env()->context(),
                   env()->handle_onclose_symbol(),
                   close_callback).Check();
diff --git a/test/sequential/test-performance-eventloopdelay.js b/test/sequential/test-performance-eventloopdelay.js
index 82f47b6fb29c47..7b9527b3863905 100644
--- a/test/sequential/test-performance-eventloopdelay.js
+++ b/test/sequential/test-performance-eventloopdelay.js
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+// Flags: --expose-gc
 'use strict';
 
 const common = require('../common');
@@ -97,3 +98,7 @@ const {
   }
   spinAWhile();
 }
+
+// Make sure that the histogram instances can be garbage-collected without
+// and not just implictly destroyed when the Environment is torn down.
+process.on('exit', global.gc);