diff --git a/rts/win32/ThrIOManager.c b/rts/win32/ThrIOManager.c
index 6bbf65a45f51e1fe13411f9f30e4cb57d947174a..72806456687521e7ff811aa6f974531adc702681 100644
--- a/rts/win32/ThrIOManager.c
+++ b/rts/win32/ThrIOManager.c
@@ -79,7 +79,9 @@ readIOManagerEvent (void)
             }
         }
     } else {
-        res = 0;
+        // Making it here means that we have hit ioManagerDie, which
+        // closed our event object.
+        res = IO_MANAGER_DIE;
     }
 
     OS_RELEASE_LOCK(&event_buf_mutex);