diff --git a/core/runtime.jvm/src/kotlin/jvm/internal/FunctionReference.java b/core/runtime.jvm/src/kotlin/jvm/internal/FunctionReference.java
index ac5166b8a1d..32d6e321a45 100644
--- a/core/runtime.jvm/src/kotlin/jvm/internal/FunctionReference.java
+++ b/core/runtime.jvm/src/kotlin/jvm/internal/FunctionReference.java
@@ -30,6 +30,11 @@ public abstract class FunctionReference
         this.arity = arity;
     }
 
+    @Deprecated // preserved for binary compatibility with M12 release
+    public FunctionReference() {
+        this.arity = 0;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public int getArity() {
         return arity;