diff --git a/.yarn/versions/4905f29b.yml b/.yarn/versions/4905f29b.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..50d060d51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.yarn/versions/4905f29b.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+releases:
+  "@radix-ui/react-avatar": patch
+
+declined:
+  - primitives
diff --git a/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.stories.tsx b/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.stories.tsx
index 0ee66a2bf..28a1f70dd 100644
--- a/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.stories.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.stories.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 import { css } from '../../../../stitches.config';
 import * as Avatar from '@radix-ui/react-avatar';
+import React from 'react';
 
 export default { title: 'Components/Avatar' };
 
 const src = 'https://picsum.photos/id/1005/400/400';
+const srcAlternative = 'https://picsum.photos/id/1006/400/400';
 const srcBroken = 'https://broken.link.com/broken-pic.jpg';
 
 export const Styled = () => (
@@ -33,6 +35,18 @@ export const Styled = () => (
         <AvatarIcon />
       </Avatar.Fallback>
     </Avatar.Root>
+
+    <h1>Changing image src</h1>
+    <SourceChanger sources={[src, srcAlternative, srcBroken]}>
+      {(src) => (
+        <Avatar.Root className={rootClass()}>
+          <Avatar.Image className={imageClass()} alt="John Smith" src={src} />
+          <Avatar.Fallback delayMs={300} className={fallbackClass()}>
+            JS
+          </Avatar.Fallback>
+        </Avatar.Root>
+      )}
+    </SourceChanger>
   </>
 );
 
@@ -58,6 +72,18 @@ export const Chromatic = () => (
         <AvatarIcon />
       </Avatar.Fallback>
     </Avatar.Root>
+
+    <h1>Changing image src</h1>
+    <SourceChanger sources={[src, srcAlternative, srcBroken]}>
+      {(src) => (
+        <Avatar.Root className={rootClass()}>
+          <Avatar.Image className={imageClass()} alt="John Smith" src={src} />
+          <Avatar.Fallback delayMs={300} className={fallbackClass()}>
+            JS
+          </Avatar.Fallback>
+        </Avatar.Root>
+      )}
+    </SourceChanger>
   </>
 );
 Chromatic.parameters = { chromatic: { disable: false, delay: 1000 } };
@@ -113,3 +139,21 @@ const AvatarIcon = () => (
     />
   </svg>
 );
+
+function SourceChanger({
+  sources,
+  children,
+}: {
+  sources: string[];
+  children: (src: string) => React.ReactElement;
+}) {
+  const [src, setSrc] = React.useState(sources[0]);
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    const interval = setInterval(() => {
+      const nextIndex = (sources.indexOf(src) + 1) % sources.length;
+      setSrc(sources[nextIndex]);
+    }, 1000);
+    return () => clearInterval(interval);
+  }, [sources, src]);
+  return children(src);
+}
diff --git a/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.test.tsx b/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.test.tsx
index e1705c6f3..302fe7314 100644
--- a/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.test.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { axe } from 'jest-axe';
-import type { RenderResult } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { RenderResult } from '@testing-library/react';
 import { render } from '@testing-library/react';
 import * as Avatar from '@radix-ui/react-avatar';
 
@@ -7,6 +7,39 @@ const ROOT_TEST_ID = 'avatar-root';
 const FALLBACK_TEXT = 'AB';
 const IMAGE_ALT_TEXT = 'Fake Avatar';
 const DELAY = 300;
+const cache = new Set<string>();
+
+class MockImage extends EventTarget {
+  _src: string = '';
+
+  constructor() {
+    super();
+    return this;
+  }
+
+  get src() {
+    return this._src;
+  }
+
+  set src(src: string) {
+    if (!src) {
+      return;
+    }
+    this._src = src;
+    setTimeout(() => {
+      this.dispatchEvent(new Event('load'));
+      cache.add(this.src);
+    }, DELAY);
+  }
+
+  get complete() {
+    return !this.src || cache.has(this.src);
+  }
+
+  get naturalWidth() {
+    return this.complete ? 300 : 0;
+  }
+}
 
 describe('given an Avatar with fallback and no image', () => {
   let rendered: RenderResult;
@@ -27,32 +60,26 @@ describe('given an Avatar with fallback and no image', () => {
 describe('given an Avatar with fallback and a working image', () => {
   let rendered: RenderResult;
   let image: HTMLElement | null = null;
-  const orignalGlobalImage = window.Image;
+  const originalGlobalImage = window.Image;
+  const ui = (src?: string) => (
+    <Avatar.Root data-testid={ROOT_TEST_ID}>
+      <Avatar.Fallback>{FALLBACK_TEXT}</Avatar.Fallback>
+      <Avatar.Image src={src} alt={IMAGE_ALT_TEXT} />
+    </Avatar.Root>
+  );
 
   beforeAll(() => {
-    (window.Image as any) = class MockImage {
-      onload: () => void = () => {};
-      src: string = '';
-      constructor() {
-        setTimeout(() => {
-          this.onload();
-        }, DELAY);
-        return this;
-      }
-    };
+    (window.Image as any) = MockImage;
   });
 
   afterAll(() => {
-    window.Image = orignalGlobalImage;
+    window.Image = originalGlobalImage;
+    jest.restoreAllMocks();
   });
 
   beforeEach(() => {
-    rendered = render(
-      <Avatar.Root data-testid={ROOT_TEST_ID}>
-        <Avatar.Fallback>{FALLBACK_TEXT}</Avatar.Fallback>
-        <Avatar.Image src="/test.jpg" alt={IMAGE_ALT_TEXT} />
-      </Avatar.Root>
-    );
+    cache.clear();
+    rendered = render(ui('/test.png'));
   });
 
   it('should render the fallback initially', () => {
@@ -74,6 +101,65 @@ describe('given an Avatar with fallback and a working image', () => {
     image = await rendered.findByAltText(IMAGE_ALT_TEXT);
     expect(image).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
+
+  it('does not leak event listeners', async () => {
+    rendered.unmount();
+    const addEventListenerSpy = jest.spyOn(window.Image.prototype, 'addEventListener');
+    const removeEventListenerSpy = jest.spyOn(window.Image.prototype, 'removeEventListener');
+    rendered = render(ui('/test.png'));
+    rendered.unmount();
+    expect(addEventListenerSpy.mock.calls.length).toEqual(removeEventListenerSpy.mock.calls.length);
+  });
+
+  it('can handle changing src', async () => {
+    image = await rendered.findByRole('img');
+    expect(image).toBeInTheDocument();
+    rendered.rerender(ui('/test2.png'));
+    image = rendered.queryByRole('img');
+    expect(image).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    image = await rendered.findByRole('img');
+    expect(image).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('should render the image immediately after it is cached', async () => {
+    image = await rendered.findByRole('img');
+    expect(image).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    rendered.unmount();
+    rendered = render(ui('/test.png'));
+    image = rendered.queryByRole('img');
+    expect(image).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('should not render image with no src', async () => {
+    rendered.rerender(ui());
+    image = rendered.queryByRole('img');
+    expect(image).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    rendered.unmount();
+    rendered = render(ui());
+    image = rendered.queryByRole('img');
+    expect(image).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('should not render image with empty string as src', async () => {
+    rendered.rerender(ui(''));
+    image = rendered.queryByRole('img');
+    expect(image).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    rendered.unmount();
+    rendered = render(ui(''));
+    image = rendered.queryByRole('img');
+    expect(image).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('should show fallback if image has no data', async () => {
+    rendered.unmount();
+    const spy = jest.spyOn(window.Image.prototype, 'naturalWidth', 'get');
+    spy.mockReturnValue(0);
+    rendered = render(ui('/test.png'));
+    const fallback = rendered.queryByText(FALLBACK_TEXT);
+    expect(fallback).toBeInTheDocument();
+    spy.mockRestore();
+  });
 });
 
 describe('given an Avatar with fallback and delayed render', () => {
diff --git a/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.tsx b/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.tsx
index 3749fc218..c901c9cee 100644
--- a/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/avatar/src/Avatar.tsx
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ const [AvatarProvider, useAvatarContext] = createAvatarContext<AvatarContextValu
 
 type AvatarElement = React.ElementRef<typeof Primitive.span>;
 type PrimitiveSpanProps = React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<typeof Primitive.span>;
+
 interface AvatarProps extends PrimitiveSpanProps {}
 
 const Avatar = React.forwardRef<AvatarElement, AvatarProps>(
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ const IMAGE_NAME = 'AvatarImage';
 
 type AvatarImageElement = React.ElementRef<typeof Primitive.img>;
 type PrimitiveImageProps = React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<typeof Primitive.img>;
+
 interface AvatarImageProps extends PrimitiveImageProps {
   onLoadingStatusChange?: (status: ImageLoadingStatus) => void;
 }
@@ -89,6 +91,7 @@ AvatarImage.displayName = IMAGE_NAME;
 const FALLBACK_NAME = 'AvatarFallback';
 
 type AvatarFallbackElement = React.ElementRef<typeof Primitive.span>;
+
 interface AvatarFallbackProps extends PrimitiveSpanProps {
   delayMs?: number;
 }
@@ -116,35 +119,47 @@ AvatarFallback.displayName = FALLBACK_NAME;
 
 /* -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 
+function setImageSrcAndGetInitialState(image: HTMLImageElement, src?: string): ImageLoadingStatus {
+  if (!src) {
+    return 'error';
+  }
+  if (image.src !== src) {
+    image.src = src;
+  }
+  return image.complete && image.naturalWidth > 0 ? 'loaded' : 'loading';
+}
+
 function useImageLoadingStatus(src?: string) {
-  const [loadingStatus, setLoadingStatus] = React.useState<ImageLoadingStatus>('idle');
+  const image = React.useRef(new window.Image());
+  const [loadingStatus, setLoadingStatus] = React.useState<ImageLoadingStatus>(() =>
+    setImageSrcAndGetInitialState(image.current, src)
+  );
 
   useLayoutEffect(() => {
-    if (!src) {
-      setLoadingStatus('error');
-      return;
-    }
-
-    let isMounted = true;
-    const image = new window.Image();
+    setLoadingStatus(setImageSrcAndGetInitialState(image.current, src));
+  }, [src]);
 
+  useLayoutEffect(() => {
     const updateStatus = (status: ImageLoadingStatus) => () => {
-      if (!isMounted) return;
       setLoadingStatus(status);
     };
 
-    setLoadingStatus('loading');
-    image.onload = updateStatus('loaded');
-    image.onerror = updateStatus('error');
-    image.src = src;
+    const img = image.current;
+
+    const handleLoad = updateStatus('loaded');
+    const handleError = updateStatus('error');
+    img.addEventListener('load', handleLoad);
+    img.addEventListener('error', handleError);
 
     return () => {
-      isMounted = false;
+      img.removeEventListener('load', handleLoad);
+      img.removeEventListener('error', handleError);
     };
-  }, [src]);
+  }, []);
 
   return loadingStatus;
 }
+
 const Root = Avatar;
 const Image = AvatarImage;
 const Fallback = AvatarFallback;