diff --git a/src/ChangeLog b/src/ChangeLog
index 6f864f5eef5..9c6596c306a 100644
--- a/src/ChangeLog
+++ b/src/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2014-06-09  Paul Eggert  <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>
+
+	Fix core dump after a dropped X connection (Bug#17704).
+	* sysdep.c (stuff_char): Don't abort merely because the selected frame
+	is dead, as we may be shutting down.
+
 2014-06-08  Glenn Morris  <rgm@gnu.org>
 
 	* fileio.c (write-region-inhibit-fsync): Doc tweak.
diff --git a/src/sysdep.c b/src/sysdep.c
index 2eedd1fc6cb..211a3bb706f 100644
--- a/src/sysdep.c
+++ b/src/sysdep.c
@@ -222,7 +222,9 @@ discard_tty_input (void)
 void
 stuff_char (char c)
 {
-  if (! FRAME_TERMCAP_P (SELECTED_FRAME ()))
+  if (! (FRAMEP (selected_frame)
+	 && FRAME_LIVE_P (XFRAME (selected_frame))
+	 && FRAME_TERMCAP_P (XFRAME (selected_frame))))
     return;
 
 /* Should perhaps error if in batch mode */