diff --git a/core/runtime.jvm/src/kotlin/jvm/internal/FunctionReference.java b/core/runtime.jvm/src/kotlin/jvm/internal/FunctionReference.java
index 3351044913c..55c5ce5a1f9 100644
--- a/core/runtime.jvm/src/kotlin/jvm/internal/FunctionReference.java
+++ b/core/runtime.jvm/src/kotlin/jvm/internal/FunctionReference.java
@@ -31,11 +31,6 @@ public class FunctionReference extends FunctionImpl implements KFunction {
         this.arity = arity;
     }
 
-    @Deprecated // preserved for binary compatibility with M12 release
-    public FunctionReference() {
-        this.arity = 0;
-    }
-
     @Override
     public int getArity() {
         return arity;