diff --git a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java
index 9e599c335d..6abf529afc 100644
--- a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java
+++ b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java
@@ -706,20 +706,6 @@ abstract class AbstractChannelHandlerContext extends DefaultAttributeMap
 
     @Override
     public ChannelFuture write(final Object msg, final ChannelPromise promise) {
-        if (msg == null) {
-            throw new NullPointerException("msg");
-        }
-
-        try {
-            if (isNotValidPromise(promise, true)) {
-                ReferenceCountUtil.release(msg);
-                // cancelled
-                return promise;
-            }
-        } catch (RuntimeException e) {
-            ReferenceCountUtil.release(msg);
-            throw e;
-        }
         write(msg, false, promise);
 
         return promise;
@@ -781,18 +767,7 @@ abstract class AbstractChannelHandlerContext extends DefaultAttributeMap
 
     @Override
     public ChannelFuture writeAndFlush(Object msg, ChannelPromise promise) {
-        if (msg == null) {
-            throw new NullPointerException("msg");
-        }
-
-        if (isNotValidPromise(promise, true)) {
-            ReferenceCountUtil.release(msg);
-            // cancelled
-            return promise;
-        }
-
         write(msg, true, promise);
-
         return promise;
     }
 
@@ -806,6 +781,18 @@ abstract class AbstractChannelHandlerContext extends DefaultAttributeMap
     }
 
     private void write(Object msg, boolean flush, ChannelPromise promise) {
+        ObjectUtil.checkNotNull(msg, "msg");
+        try {
+            if (isNotValidPromise(promise, true)) {
+                ReferenceCountUtil.release(msg);
+                // cancelled
+                return;
+            }
+        } catch (RuntimeException e) {
+            ReferenceCountUtil.release(msg);
+            throw e;
+        }
+
         AbstractChannelHandlerContext next = findContextOutbound();
         final Object m = pipeline.touch(msg, next);
         EventExecutor executor = next.executor();
diff --git a/transport/src/test/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipelineTest.java b/transport/src/test/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipelineTest.java
index 31de253b04..65209d50cf 100644
--- a/transport/src/test/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipelineTest.java
+++ b/transport/src/test/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipelineTest.java
@@ -1223,6 +1223,51 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipelineTest {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testWriteThrowsReleaseMessage() {
+        testWriteThrowsReleaseMessage0(false);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testWriteAndFlushThrowsReleaseMessage() {
+        testWriteThrowsReleaseMessage0(true);
+    }
+
+    private void testWriteThrowsReleaseMessage0(boolean flush) {
+        ReferenceCounted referenceCounted = new AbstractReferenceCounted() {
+            @Override
+            protected void deallocate() {
+                // NOOP
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public ReferenceCounted touch(Object hint) {
+                return this;
+            }
+        };
+        assertEquals(1, referenceCounted.refCnt());
+
+        Channel channel = new LocalChannel();
+        Channel channel2 = new LocalChannel();
+        group.register(channel).syncUninterruptibly();
+        group.register(channel2).syncUninterruptibly();
+
+        try {
+            if (flush) {
+                channel.writeAndFlush(referenceCounted, channel2.newPromise());
+            } else {
+                channel.write(referenceCounted, channel2.newPromise());
+            }
+            fail();
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException expected) {
+            // expected
+        }
+        assertEquals(0, referenceCounted.refCnt());
+
+        channel.close().syncUninterruptibly();
+        channel2.close().syncUninterruptibly();
+    }
+
     @Test(timeout = 5000)
     public void handlerAddedStateUpdatedBeforeHandlerAddedDoneForceEventLoop() throws InterruptedException {
         handlerAddedStateUpdatedBeforeHandlerAddedDone(true);