diff --git a/message/classes/helper.php b/message/classes/helper.php
index 8eef5fe7685..d2c4ececffc 100644
--- a/message/classes/helper.php
+++ b/message/classes/helper.php
@@ -531,8 +531,12 @@ class helper {
             $data->profileimageurlsmall = $userpicture->get_url($PAGE)->out(false);
 
             // Set online status indicators.
-            $data->isonline = self::show_online_status($member) ? self::is_online($member->lastaccess) : null;
-            $data->showonlinestatus = is_null($data->isonline) ? false : true;
+            $data->isonline = false;
+            $data->showonlinestatus = false;
+            if (!$member->deleted) {
+                $data->isonline = self::show_online_status($member) ? self::is_online($member->lastaccess) : null;
+                $data->showonlinestatus = is_null($data->isonline) ? false : true;
+            }
 
             // Set contact and blocked status indicators.
             $data->iscontact = ($member->contactid) ? true : false;
diff --git a/message/tests/api_test.php b/message/tests/api_test.php
index f7446ab6ce6..69841aff04f 100644
--- a/message/tests/api_test.php
+++ b/message/tests/api_test.php
@@ -1370,6 +1370,9 @@ class core_message_api_testcase extends core_message_messagelib_testcase {
         // We should have 5, as $ic1 drops off the list.
         // Group conversations remain albeit with less members.
         delete_user($user2);
+        // This is to confirm an exception is not thrown when a user AND the user context is deleted.
+        // We no longer delete the user context, but historically we did.
+        context_helper::delete_instance(CONTEXT_USER, $user2->id);
         $conversations = \core_message\api::get_conversations($user1->id);
         $this->assertCount(5, $conversations);
         $this->assertEquals($gc3->id, $conversations[0]->id);