diff --git a/src/components/structures/UserSettings.js b/src/components/structures/UserSettings.js
index 7e8dbeff76..b69bea9282 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/UserSettings.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/UserSettings.js
@@ -427,6 +427,11 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         });
     },
 
+    onAvatarRemoveClick: function() {
+        MatrixClientPeg.get().setAvatarUrl(null);
+        this.setState({avatarUrl: null}); // the avatar update will complete async for us
+    },
+
     onLogoutClicked: function(ev) {
         const QuestionDialog = sdk.getComponent("dialogs.QuestionDialog");
         Modal.createTrackedDialog('Logout E2E Export', '', QuestionDialog, {
@@ -1322,7 +1327,11 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                     </div>
 
                     <div className="mx_UserSettings_avatarPicker">
-                        <div onClick={this.onAvatarPickerClick}>
+                        <div className="mx_UserSettings_avatarPicker_remove" onClick={this.onAvatarRemoveClick}>
+                            <img src="img/cancel.svg" width="15" height="15"
+                                 alt={_t("Remove avatar")} title={_t("Remove avatar")} />
+                        </div>
+                        <div onClick={this.onAvatarPickerClick} className="mx_UserSettings_avatarPicker_imgContainer">
                             <ChangeAvatar ref="changeAvatar" initialAvatarUrl={avatarUrl}
                                 showUploadSection={false} className="mx_UserSettings_avatarPicker_img" />
                         </div>
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomHeader.js b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomHeader.js
index 42cbb90cd9..3d2dee9e64 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomHeader.js
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomHeader.js
@@ -129,6 +129,10 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         }).done();
     },
 
+    onAvatarRemoveClick: function() {
+        MatrixClientPeg.get().sendStateEvent(this.props.room.roomId, 'm.room.avatar', {url: null}, '');
+    },
+
     onShowRhsClick: function(ev) {
         dis.dispatch({ action: 'show_right_panel' });
     },
@@ -268,11 +272,15 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                     <div className="mx_RoomHeader_avatarPicker_edit">
                         <label htmlFor="avatarInput" ref="file_label">
                             <img src="img/camera.svg"
-                                alt={_t("Upload avatar")} title={_t("Upload avatar")}
-                                width="17" height="15" />
+                                 alt={_t("Upload avatar")} title={_t("Upload avatar")}
+                                 width="17" height="15" />
                         </label>
                         <input id="avatarInput" type="file" onChange={this.onAvatarSelected} />
                     </div>
+                    <div className="mx_RoomHeader_avatarPicker_remove" onClick={this.onAvatarRemoveClick}>
+                        <img src="img/cancel.svg" width="10"
+                             alt={_t("Remove avatar")} title={_t("Remove avatar")} />
+                    </div>
                 </div>
             );
         } else if (this.props.room || (this.props.oobData && this.props.oobData.name)) {
diff --git a/src/components/views/settings/ChangeAvatar.js b/src/components/views/settings/ChangeAvatar.js
index b3204ab86e..a363dc2c60 100644
--- a/src/components/views/settings/ChangeAvatar.js
+++ b/src/components/views/settings/ChangeAvatar.js
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         };
     },
 
+    componentWillMount: function() {
+        MatrixClientPeg.get().on("RoomState.events", this.onRoomStateEvents);
+    },
+
     componentWillReceiveProps: function(newProps) {
         if (this.avatarSet) {
             // don't clobber what the user has just set
@@ -63,6 +67,28 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         });
     },
 
+    componentWillUnmount: function() {
+        if (MatrixClientPeg.get()) {
+            MatrixClientPeg.get().removeListener("RoomState.events", this.onRoomStateEvents);
+        }
+    },
+
+    onRoomStateEvents: function(ev) {
+        if (!this.props.room) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (ev.getRoomId() !== this.props.room.roomId || ev.getType() !== 'm.room.avatar'
+            || ev.getSender() !== MatrixClientPeg.get().getUserId()) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (!ev.getContent().url) {
+            this.avatarSet = false;
+            this.setState({}); // force update
+        }
+    },
+
     setAvatarFromFile: function(file) {
         let newUrl = null;
 
diff --git a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
index 6f46fd3257..a167381152 100644
--- a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
+++ b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
@@ -633,6 +633,7 @@
     "quote": "quote",
     "bullet": "bullet",
     "numbullet": "numbullet",
+    "Remove avatar": "Remove avatar",
     "%(severalUsers)sjoined %(repeats)s times": "%(severalUsers)sjoined %(repeats)s times",
     "%(oneUser)sjoined %(repeats)s times": "%(oneUser)sjoined %(repeats)s times",
     "%(severalUsers)sjoined": "%(severalUsers)sjoined",