diff --git a/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/gaxx/reframing/ReframingResponseObserver.java b/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/gaxx/reframing/ReframingResponseObserver.java
index 849c56b19..c46eb55ff 100644
--- a/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/gaxx/reframing/ReframingResponseObserver.java
+++ b/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/gaxx/reframing/ReframingResponseObserver.java
@@ -244,7 +244,14 @@ private void deliver() {
       // purposefully leaving the lock non-zero and notifying the outerResponseObserver of the
       // error. Care must be taken to avoid calling close twice in case the first invocation threw
       // an error.
-      innerController.cancel();
+      try {
+        innerController.cancel();
+      } catch (Throwable cancelError) {
+        t.addSuppressed(
+            new IllegalStateException(
+                "Failed to cancel upstream while recovering from an unexpected error",
+                cancelError));
+      }
       if (!finished) {
         outerResponseObserver.onError(t);
       }
diff --git a/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/gaxx/reframing/ReframingResponseObserverTest.java b/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/gaxx/reframing/ReframingResponseObserverTest.java
index d6c1287d0..426c27f5a 100644
--- a/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/gaxx/reframing/ReframingResponseObserverTest.java
+++ b/google-cloud-bigtable/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/gaxx/reframing/ReframingResponseObserverTest.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
  */
 package com.google.cloud.bigtable.gaxx.reframing;
 
+import com.google.api.gax.rpc.StreamController;
 import com.google.cloud.bigtable.gaxx.testing.FakeStreamingApi.ServerStreamingStashCallable;
 import com.google.cloud.bigtable.gaxx.testing.FakeStreamingApi.ServerStreamingStashCallable.StreamControllerStash;
 import com.google.cloud.bigtable.gaxx.testing.MockStreamingApi.MockResponseObserver;
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
 import org.junit.runners.JUnit4;
+import org.mockito.Mockito;
 
 @RunWith(JUnit4.class)
 public class ReframingResponseObserverTest {
@@ -374,6 +376,61 @@ public String pop() {
     Truth.assertThat(lastCall.getNumDelivered()).isEqualTo(2);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Test the scenario where the reframer throws an exception on incoming data and the upstream
+   * throws an exception during cleanup when cancel is called.
+   */
+  @Test
+  public void testFailedRecoveryHandling() {
+    MockResponseObserver<String> outerObserver = new MockResponseObserver<>(true);
+    final RuntimeException fakeReframerError = new RuntimeException("fake reframer error");
+
+    Reframer<String, String> brokenReframer =
+        new Reframer<String, String>() {
+          @Override
+          public void push(String ignored) {
+            throw fakeReframerError;
+          }
+
+          @Override
+          public boolean hasFullFrame() {
+            return false;
+          }
+
+          @Override
+          public boolean hasPartialFrame() {
+            return false;
+          }
+
+          @Override
+          public String pop() {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("should not be called");
+          }
+        };
+    ReframingResponseObserver<String, String> middleware =
+        new ReframingResponseObserver<>(outerObserver, brokenReframer);
+
+    // Configure the mock inner controller to fail cancellation.
+    StreamController mockInnerController = Mockito.mock(StreamController.class);
+    RuntimeException fakeCancelError = new RuntimeException("fake cancel error");
+    Mockito.doThrow(fakeCancelError).when(mockInnerController).cancel();
+
+    // Jumpstart a call & feed it data
+    middleware.onStartImpl(mockInnerController);
+    middleware.onResponseImpl("1");
+
+    // Make sure that the outer observer was notified with the reframer, which contains a suppressed
+    // cancellation error.
+    Throwable finalError = outerObserver.getFinalError();
+    Truth.assertThat(finalError).isSameInstanceAs(fakeReframerError);
+    Truth.assertThat(ImmutableList.of(finalError.getSuppressed())).hasSize(1);
+    Truth.assertThat(finalError.getSuppressed()[0]).isInstanceOf(IllegalStateException.class);
+    Truth.assertThat(finalError.getSuppressed()[0])
+        .hasMessageThat()
+        .isEqualTo("Failed to cancel upstream while recovering from an unexpected error");
+    Truth.assertThat(finalError.getSuppressed()[0].getCause()).isSameInstanceAs(fakeCancelError);
+  }
+
   /**
    * A simple implementation of a {@link Reframer}. The input string is split by dash, and the
    * output is concatenated by dashes. The test can verify M:N behavior by adjusting the