diff --git a/src/system/runtime_loader/elf.cpp b/src/system/runtime_loader/elf.cpp
index 907c6a2ad0..e8d8af9657 100644
--- a/src/system/runtime_loader/elf.cpp
+++ b/src/system/runtime_loader/elf.cpp
@@ -612,7 +612,18 @@ unload_library(void* handle, image_id imageID, bool addOn)
 
 	if (status == B_OK) {
 		while ((image = get_disposable_images().head) != NULL) {
-			// call image fini here...
+			// Call the exit hooks that live in this image.
+			// Note: With the Itanium ABI this shouldn't really be done this
+			// way anymore, since global destructors are registered via
+			// __cxa_atexit() (the ones that are registered dynamically) and the
+			// termination routine should call __cxa_finalize() for the image.
+			// The reason why we still do it is that hooks registered with
+			// atexit() aren't associated with the image. We could find out
+			// there which image the hooks lives in and register it
+			// respectively, but since that would be done always, that's
+			// probably more expensive than calling
+			// call_atexit_hooks_for_range() only here, which happens only when
+			// libraries are unloaded dynamically.
 			if (gRuntimeLoader.call_atexit_hooks_for_range) {
 				gRuntimeLoader.call_atexit_hooks_for_range(
 					image->regions[0].vmstart, image->regions[0].vmsize);