diff --git a/hw/core/qdev.c b/hw/core/qdev.c
index 50336168f2..2131c7f951 100644
--- a/hw/core/qdev.c
+++ b/hw/core/qdev.c
@@ -376,35 +376,6 @@ void qdev_simple_device_unplug_cb(HotplugHandler *hotplug_dev,
     qdev_unrealize(dev);
 }
 
-/*
- * Realize @dev.
- * Device properties should be set before calling this function.  IRQs
- * and MMIO regions should be connected/mapped after calling this
- * function.
- * On failure, report an error with error_report() and terminate the
- * program.  This is okay during machine creation.  Don't use for
- * hotplug, because there callers need to recover from failure.
- * Exception: if you know the device's init() callback can't fail,
- * then qdev_init_nofail() can't fail either, and is therefore usable
- * even then.  But relying on the device implementation that way is
- * somewhat unclean, and best avoided.
- */
-void qdev_init_nofail(DeviceState *dev)
-{
-    Error *err = NULL;
-
-    assert(!dev->realized);
-
-    object_ref(OBJECT(dev));
-    object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(dev), true, "realized", &err);
-    if (err) {
-        error_reportf_err(err, "Initialization of device %s failed: ",
-                          object_get_typename(OBJECT(dev)));
-        exit(1);
-    }
-    object_unref(OBJECT(dev));
-}
-
 /*
  * Realize @dev.
  * @dev must not be plugged into a bus.
diff --git a/include/hw/qdev-core.h b/include/hw/qdev-core.h
index ef6137b6a8..7dc10be46f 100644
--- a/include/hw/qdev-core.h
+++ b/include/hw/qdev-core.h
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ typedef void (*BusUnrealize)(BusState *bus);
  * After successful realization, setting static properties will fail.
  *
  * As an interim step, the #DeviceState:realized property can also be
- * set with qdev_realize() or qdev_init_nofail().
+ * set with qdev_realize().
  * In the future, devices will propagate this state change to their children
  * and along busses they expose.
  * The point in time will be deferred to machine creation, so that values
@@ -322,7 +322,6 @@ compat_props_add(GPtrArray *arr,
 
 DeviceState *qdev_new(const char *name);
 DeviceState *qdev_try_new(const char *name);
-void qdev_init_nofail(DeviceState *dev);
 bool qdev_realize(DeviceState *dev, BusState *bus, Error **errp);
 bool qdev_realize_and_unref(DeviceState *dev, BusState *bus, Error **errp);
 void qdev_unrealize(DeviceState *dev);