diff --git a/include/json/value.h b/include/json/value.h
index ae111fbbb..2e533142f 100644
--- a/include/json/value.h
+++ b/include/json/value.h
@@ -521,13 +521,11 @@ Json::Value obj_value(Json::objectValue); // {}
   /// \pre type() is objectValue or nullValue
   /// \post type() is unchanged
   /// \deprecated
-  JSONCPP_DEPRECATED("")
-  Value removeMember(const char* key);
+  void removeMember(const char* key);
   /// Same as removeMember(const char*)
   /// \param key may contain embedded nulls.
   /// \deprecated
-  JSONCPP_DEPRECATED("")
-  Value removeMember(const JSONCPP_STRING& key);
+  void removeMember(const JSONCPP_STRING& key);
   /// Same as removeMember(const char* begin, const char* end, Value* removed),
   /// but 'key' is null-terminated.
   bool removeMember(const char* key, Value* removed);
diff --git a/src/lib_json/json_value.cpp b/src/lib_json/json_value.cpp
index d818208e7..5197d1861 100644
--- a/src/lib_json/json_value.cpp
+++ b/src/lib_json/json_value.cpp
@@ -1187,27 +1187,19 @@ bool Value::removeMember(JSONCPP_STRING const& key, Value* removed)
 {
   return removeMember(key.data(), key.data() + key.length(), removed);
 }
-Value Value::removeMember(const char* key)
+void Value::removeMember(const char* key)
 {
   JSON_ASSERT_MESSAGE(type_ == nullValue || type_ == objectValue,
                       "in Json::Value::removeMember(): requires objectValue");
   if (type_ == nullValue)
-    return nullSingleton();
+    return;
 
-  Value removed;  // null
-  removeMember(key, key + strlen(key), &removed);
-  return removed; // still null if removeMember() did nothing
+  CZString actualKey(key, unsigned(strlen(key)), CZString::noDuplication);
+  value_.map_->erase(actualKey);
 }
-Value Value::removeMember(const JSONCPP_STRING& key)
+void Value::removeMember(const JSONCPP_STRING& key)
 {
-  JSON_ASSERT_MESSAGE(type_ == nullValue || type_ == objectValue,
-                      "in Json::Value::removeMember(): requires objectValue");
-  if (type_ == nullValue)
-    return nullSingleton();
-
-  Value removed;  // null
-  removeMember(key.c_str(), key.c_str() + key.size(), &removed);
-  return removed; // still null if removeMember() did nothing
+  removeMember(key.c_str());
 }
 
 bool Value::removeIndex(ArrayIndex index, Value* removed) {