diff --git a/cpp/src/ray/runtime/object/native_object_store.cc b/cpp/src/ray/runtime/object/native_object_store.cc
index 9bdd7ff54..d9326feb2 100644
--- a/cpp/src/ray/runtime/object/native_object_store.cc
+++ b/cpp/src/ray/runtime/object/native_object_store.cc
@@ -74,7 +74,11 @@ void NativeObjectStore::CheckException(const std::string &meta_str,
     throw RayWorkerException(std::move(data_str));
   } else if (meta_str == std::to_string(ray::rpc::ErrorType::ACTOR_DIED)) {
     throw RayActorException(std::move(data_str));
-  } else if (meta_str == std::to_string(ray::rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE)) {
+  } else if (meta_str == std::to_string(ray::rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE) ||
+             meta_str == std::to_string(ray::rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_LOST) ||
+             meta_str == std::to_string(ray::rpc::ErrorType::OWNER_DIED) ||
+             meta_str == std::to_string(ray::rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_DELETED)) {
+    // TODO: Differentiate object errors.
     throw UnreconstructableException(std::move(data_str));
   } else if (meta_str == std::to_string(ray::rpc::ErrorType::TASK_EXECUTION_EXCEPTION)) {
     throw RayTaskException(std::move(data_str));
diff --git a/doc/source/troubleshooting.rst b/doc/source/troubleshooting.rst
index 0f4146125..d9019a36b 100644
--- a/doc/source/troubleshooting.rst
+++ b/doc/source/troubleshooting.rst
@@ -235,6 +235,35 @@ as well as some known problems. If you encounter other problems, please
 
 .. _`let us know`: https://github.com/ray-project/ray/issues
 
+Understanding `ObjectLostErrors`
+--------------------------------
+Ray throws an ``ObjectLostError`` to the application when an object cannot be
+retrieved due to application or system error. This can occur during a
+``ray.get()`` call or when fetching a task's arguments, and can happen for a
+number of reasons. Here is a guide to understanding the root cause for
+different error types:
+
+- ``ObjectLostError``: The object was successfully created, but then all copies
+  were lost due to node failure.
+- ``OwnerDiedError``: The owner of an object, i.e., the Python worker that
+  first created the ``ObjectRef`` via ``.remote()`` or ``ray.put()``, has died.
+  The owner stores critical object metadata and an object cannot be retrieved
+  if this process is lost.
+- ``ObjectReconstructionFailedError``: Should only be thrown when `lineage
+  reconstruction`_ is enabled. This error is thrown if an object, or another
+  object that this object depends on, cannot be reconstructed because the
+  maximum number of task retries has been exceeded. By default, a non-actor
+  task can be retried up to 3 times and an actor task cannot be retried.
+  This can be overridden with the ``max_retries`` parameter for remote
+  functions and the ``max_task_retries`` parameter for actors.
+- ``ReferenceCountingAssertionError``: The object has already been deleted,
+  so it cannot be retrieved. Ray implements automatic memory management through
+  distributed reference counting, so this error should not happen in general.
+  However, there is a `known edge case`_ that can produce this error.
+
+.. _`lineage reconstruction`: https://docs.ray.io/en/master/fault-tolerance.html
+.. _`known edge case`: https://github.com/ray-project/ray/issues/18456
+
 Crashes
 -------
 
diff --git a/java/runtime/src/main/java/io/ray/runtime/object/ObjectSerializer.java b/java/runtime/src/main/java/io/ray/runtime/object/ObjectSerializer.java
index 66f47c797..fe1330044 100644
--- a/java/runtime/src/main/java/io/ray/runtime/object/ObjectSerializer.java
+++ b/java/runtime/src/main/java/io/ray/runtime/object/ObjectSerializer.java
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@ public class ObjectSerializer {
       String.valueOf(ErrorType.ACTOR_DIED.getNumber()).getBytes();
   private static final byte[] UNRECONSTRUCTABLE_EXCEPTION_META =
       String.valueOf(ErrorType.OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE.getNumber()).getBytes();
+  private static final byte[] OBJECT_LOST_META =
+      String.valueOf(ErrorType.OBJECT_LOST.getNumber()).getBytes();
+  private static final byte[] OWNER_DIED_META =
+      String.valueOf(ErrorType.OWNER_DIED.getNumber()).getBytes();
+  private static final byte[] OBJECT_DELETED_META =
+      String.valueOf(ErrorType.OBJECT_DELETED.getNumber()).getBytes();
   private static final byte[] TASK_EXECUTION_EXCEPTION_META =
       String.valueOf(ErrorType.TASK_EXECUTION_EXCEPTION.getNumber()).getBytes();
 
@@ -77,6 +83,12 @@ public class ObjectSerializer {
         return Serializer.decode(data, objectType);
       } else if (Bytes.indexOf(meta, WORKER_EXCEPTION_META) == 0) {
         return new RayWorkerException();
+      } else if (Bytes.indexOf(meta, UNRECONSTRUCTABLE_EXCEPTION_META) == 0
+          || Bytes.indexOf(meta, OBJECT_LOST_META) == 0
+          || Bytes.indexOf(meta, OWNER_DIED_META) == 0
+          || Bytes.indexOf(meta, OBJECT_DELETED_META) == 0) {
+        // TODO: Differentiate object errors.
+        return new UnreconstructableException(objectId);
       } else if (Bytes.indexOf(meta, ACTOR_EXCEPTION_META) == 0) {
         ActorId actorId = IdUtil.getActorIdFromObjectId(objectId);
         if (data != null && data.length > 0) {
@@ -86,8 +98,6 @@ public class ObjectSerializer {
           }
         }
         return new RayActorException(actorId);
-      } else if (Bytes.indexOf(meta, UNRECONSTRUCTABLE_EXCEPTION_META) == 0) {
-        return new UnreconstructableException(objectId);
       } else if (Bytes.indexOf(meta, TASK_EXECUTION_EXCEPTION_META) == 0) {
         return deserializeRayException(data, objectId);
       } else if (Bytes.indexOf(meta, OBJECT_METADATA_TYPE_ACTOR_HANDLE) == 0) {
diff --git a/python/ray/_raylet.pxd b/python/ray/_raylet.pxd
index 7a59b5f79..27840dc73 100644
--- a/python/ray/_raylet.pxd
+++ b/python/ray/_raylet.pxd
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ cdef class BaseID:
 cdef class ObjectRef(BaseID):
     cdef:
         CObjectID data
+        c_string owner_addr
         # Flag indicating whether or not this object ref was added to the set
         # of active IDs in the core worker so we know whether we should clean
         # it up.
diff --git a/python/ray/_raylet.pyx b/python/ray/_raylet.pyx
index de3623bd4..3104a7b87 100644
--- a/python/ray/_raylet.pyx
+++ b/python/ray/_raylet.pyx
@@ -184,8 +184,10 @@ cdef RayObjectsToDataMetadataPairs(
 cdef VectorToObjectRefs(const c_vector[CObjectReference] &object_refs):
     result = []
     for i in range(object_refs.size()):
-        result.append(ObjectRef(object_refs[i].object_id(),
-                                object_refs[i].call_site()))
+        result.append(ObjectRef(
+            object_refs[i].object_id(),
+            object_refs[i].owner_address().SerializeAsString(),
+            object_refs[i].call_site()))
     return result
 
 
diff --git a/python/ray/exceptions.py b/python/ray/exceptions.py
index 90e49e622..58d170654 100644
--- a/python/ray/exceptions.py
+++ b/python/ray/exceptions.py
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ from traceback import format_exception
 
 import ray.cloudpickle as pickle
 from ray.core.generated.common_pb2 import RayException, Language, PYTHON
+from ray.core.generated.common_pb2 import Address
 import ray.ray_constants as ray_constants
+from ray._raylet import WorkerID
 import colorama
 import setproctitle
 
@@ -171,7 +173,7 @@ class RayTaskError(RayError):
                     # due to the dependency failure.
                     # Print out an user-friendly
                     # message to explain that..
-                    out.append("  Some of the input arguments for "
+                    out.append("  At least one of the input arguments for "
                                "this task could not be computed:")
                 if i + 1 < len(lines) and lines[i + 1].startswith("    "):
                     # If the next line is indented with 2 space,
@@ -280,30 +282,97 @@ class ObjectStoreFullError(RayError):
 
 
 class ObjectLostError(RayError):
-    """Indicates that an object has been lost due to node failure.
+    """Indicates that the object is lost from distributed memory, due to
+    node failure or system error.
 
     Attributes:
         object_ref_hex: Hex ID of the object.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, object_ref_hex, call_site):
+    def __init__(self, object_ref_hex, owner_address, call_site):
         self.object_ref_hex = object_ref_hex
+        self.owner_address = owner_address
         self.call_site = call_site.replace(
             ray_constants.CALL_STACK_LINE_DELIMITER, "\n  ")
 
-    def __str__(self):
-        msg = (f"Object {self.object_ref_hex} cannot be retrieved due to node "
-               "failure or system error.")
+    def _base_str(self):
+        msg = f"Failed to retrieve object {self.object_ref_hex}. "
         if self.call_site:
-            msg += (f" The ObjectRef was created at: {self.call_site}")
+            msg += (f"The ObjectRef was created at: {self.call_site}")
         else:
             msg += (
-                " To see information about where this ObjectRef was created "
+                "To see information about where this ObjectRef was created "
                 "in Python, set the environment variable "
                 "RAY_record_ref_creation_sites=1 during `ray start` and "
                 "`ray.init()`.")
         return msg
 
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self._base_str() + "\n\n" + (
+            f"All copies of {self.object_ref_hex} have been lost due to node "
+            "failure. Check cluster logs (`/tmp/ray/session_latest/logs`) for "
+            "more information about the failure.")
+
+
+class ReferenceCountingAssertionError(ObjectLostError, AssertionError):
+    """Indicates that an object has been deleted while there was still a
+    reference to it.
+
+    Attributes:
+        object_ref_hex: Hex ID of the object.
+    """
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self._base_str() + "\n\n" + (
+            "The object has already been deleted by the reference counting "
+            "protocol. This should not happen.")
+
+
+class OwnerDiedError(ObjectLostError):
+    """Indicates that the owner of the object has died while there is still a
+    reference to the object.
+
+    Attributes:
+        object_ref_hex: Hex ID of the object.
+    """
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        log_loc = "`/tmp/ray/session_latest/logs`"
+        if self.owner_address:
+            try:
+                addr = Address()
+                addr.ParseFromString(self.owner_address)
+                ip_addr = addr.ip_address
+                worker_id = WorkerID(addr.worker_id)
+                log_loc = (
+                    f"`/tmp/ray/session_latest/logs/*{worker_id.hex()}*`"
+                    f" at IP address {ip_addr}")
+            except Exception:
+                # Catch all to make sure we always at least print the default
+                # message.
+                pass
+
+        return self._base_str() + "\n\n" + (
+            "The object's owner has exited. This is the Python "
+            "worker that first created the ObjectRef via `.remote()` or "
+            "`ray.put()`. "
+            f"Check cluster logs ({log_loc}) for more "
+            "information about the Python worker failure.")
+
+
+class ObjectReconstructionFailedError(ObjectLostError):
+    """Indicates that the owner of the object has died while there is still a
+    reference to the object.
+
+    Attributes:
+        object_ref_hex: Hex ID of the object.
+    """
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self._base_str() + "\n\n" + (
+            "The object cannot be reconstructed "
+            "because the maximum number of task retries has been exceeded.")
+
 
 class GetTimeoutError(RayError):
     """Indicates that a call to the worker timed out."""
@@ -338,6 +407,9 @@ RAY_EXCEPTION_TYPES = [
     RayActorError,
     ObjectStoreFullError,
     ObjectLostError,
+    ReferenceCountingAssertionError,
+    ObjectReconstructionFailedError,
+    OwnerDiedError,
     GetTimeoutError,
     AsyncioActorExit,
     RuntimeEnvSetupError,
diff --git a/python/ray/includes/object_ref.pxi b/python/ray/includes/object_ref.pxi
index 8e86c979c..e77a4335e 100644
--- a/python/ray/includes/object_ref.pxi
+++ b/python/ray/includes/object_ref.pxi
@@ -35,9 +35,10 @@ def _set_future_helper(
 
 cdef class ObjectRef(BaseID):
 
-    def __init__(self, id, call_site_data=""):
+    def __init__(self, id, owner_addr="", call_site_data=""):
         check_id(id)
         self.data = CObjectID.FromBinary(<c_string>id)
+        self.owner_addr = owner_addr
         self.in_core_worker = False
         self.call_site_data = call_site_data
 
@@ -85,6 +86,9 @@ cdef class ObjectRef(BaseID):
     def job_id(self):
         return self.task_id().job_id()
 
+    def owner_address(self):
+        return self.owner_addr
+
     def call_site(self):
         return decode(self.call_site_data)
 
diff --git a/python/ray/serialization.py b/python/ray/serialization.py
index 5b53c9ec3..bc335e4a8 100644
--- a/python/ray/serialization.py
+++ b/python/ray/serialization.py
@@ -6,10 +6,11 @@ import ray.cloudpickle as pickle
 from ray import ray_constants
 import ray._private.utils
 from ray._private.gcs_utils import ErrorType
-from ray.exceptions import (RayError, PlasmaObjectNotAvailable, RayTaskError,
-                            RayActorError, TaskCancelledError,
-                            WorkerCrashedError, ObjectLostError,
-                            RaySystemError, RuntimeEnvSetupError)
+from ray.exceptions import (
+    RayError, PlasmaObjectNotAvailable, RayTaskError, RayActorError,
+    TaskCancelledError, WorkerCrashedError, ObjectLostError,
+    ReferenceCountingAssertionError, OwnerDiedError,
+    ObjectReconstructionFailedError, RaySystemError, RuntimeEnvSetupError)
 from ray._raylet import (
     split_buffer,
     unpack_pickle5_buffers,
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ def _object_ref_deserializer(binary, call_site, owner_address, object_status):
     # the core worker to resolve the value. This is to make sure
     # that the ref count for the ObjectRef is greater than 0 by the
     # time the core worker resolves the value of the object.
-    obj_ref = ray.ObjectRef(binary, call_site)
+    obj_ref = ray.ObjectRef(binary, owner_address, call_site)
 
     # TODO(edoakes): we should be able to just capture a reference
     # to 'self' here instead, but this function is itself pickled
@@ -222,15 +223,27 @@ class SerializationContext:
                 return RayActorError()
             elif error_type == ErrorType.Value("TASK_CANCELLED"):
                 return TaskCancelledError()
-            elif error_type == ErrorType.Value("OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE"):
+            elif error_type == ErrorType.Value("OBJECT_LOST"):
                 return ObjectLostError(object_ref.hex(),
+                                       object_ref.owner_address(),
                                        object_ref.call_site())
+            elif error_type == ErrorType.Value("OBJECT_DELETED"):
+                return ReferenceCountingAssertionError(
+                    object_ref.hex(), object_ref.owner_address(),
+                    object_ref.call_site())
+            elif error_type == ErrorType.Value("OWNER_DIED"):
+                return OwnerDiedError(object_ref.hex(),
+                                      object_ref.owner_address(),
+                                      object_ref.call_site())
+            elif error_type == ErrorType.Value("OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE"):
+                return ObjectReconstructionFailedError(
+                    object_ref.hex(), object_ref.owner_address(),
+                    object_ref.call_site())
             elif error_type == ErrorType.Value("RUNTIME_ENV_SETUP_FAILED"):
                 return RuntimeEnvSetupError()
             else:
-                assert error_type != ErrorType.Value("OBJECT_IN_PLASMA"), \
-                    "Tried to get object that has been promoted to plasma."
-                assert False, "Unrecognized error type " + str(error_type)
+                return RaySystemError("Unrecognized error type " +
+                                      str(error_type))
         elif data:
             raise ValueError("non-null object should always have metadata")
         else:
diff --git a/python/ray/tests/test_advanced.py b/python/ray/tests/test_advanced.py
index ef8bfb481..b7962ff71 100644
--- a/python/ray/tests/test_advanced.py
+++ b/python/ray/tests/test_advanced.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import ray.cluster_utils
 import ray._private.profiling as profiling
 from ray._private.test_utils import (client_test_enabled,
                                      RayTestTimeoutException, SignalActor)
+from ray.exceptions import ReferenceCountingAssertionError
 
 if client_test_enabled():
     from ray.util.client import ray
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ def test_internal_free(shutdown_only):
     obj_ref = sampler.sample.remote()
     ray.get(obj_ref)
     ray.internal.free(obj_ref)
-    with pytest.raises(Exception):
+    with pytest.raises(ReferenceCountingAssertionError):
         ray.get(obj_ref)
 
     # Free deletes big objects from plasma store.
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ def test_internal_free(shutdown_only):
     ray.get(big_id)
     ray.internal.free(big_id)
     time.sleep(1)  # wait for delete RPC to propagate
-    with pytest.raises(Exception):
+    with pytest.raises(ReferenceCountingAssertionError):
         ray.get(big_id)
 
 
diff --git a/python/ray/tests/test_failure_2.py b/python/ray/tests/test_failure_2.py
index 94ef065ec..6bb0986e6 100644
--- a/python/ray/tests/test_failure_2.py
+++ b/python/ray/tests/test_failure_2.py
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ def test_raylet_crash_when_get(ray_start_regular):
 
     thread = threading.Thread(target=sleep_to_kill_raylet)
     thread.start()
-    with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
+    with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ReferenceCountingAssertionError):
         ray.get(object_ref)
     thread.join()
 
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ def test_eviction(ray_start_cluster):
     # Evict the object.
     ray.internal.free([obj])
     # ray.get throws an exception.
-    with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
+    with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ReferenceCountingAssertionError):
         ray.get(obj)
 
     @ray.remote
diff --git a/python/ray/tests/test_reconstruction.py b/python/ray/tests/test_reconstruction.py
index fe20541be..a26d2b288 100644
--- a/python/ray/tests/test_reconstruction.py
+++ b/python/ray/tests/test_reconstruction.py
@@ -108,10 +108,10 @@ def test_reconstruction_cached_dependency(ray_start_cluster,
     if reconstruction_enabled:
         ray.get(dependent_task.remote(obj))
     else:
-        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayTaskError) as e:
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayTaskError):
             ray.get(dependent_task.remote(obj))
-            with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
-                raise e.as_instanceof_cause()
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
+            ray.get(obj)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(
@@ -138,8 +138,6 @@ def test_basic_reconstruction(ray_start_cluster, reconstruction_enabled):
     # Node to place the initial object.
     node_to_kill = cluster.add_node(
         num_cpus=1, resources={"node1": 1}, object_store_memory=10**8)
-    cluster.add_node(
-        num_cpus=1, resources={"node2": 1}, object_store_memory=10**8)
     cluster.wait_for_nodes()
 
     @ray.remote(max_retries=1 if reconstruction_enabled else 0)
@@ -154,18 +152,33 @@ def test_basic_reconstruction(ray_start_cluster, reconstruction_enabled):
     ray.get(dependent_task.options(resources={"node1": 1}).remote(obj))
 
     cluster.remove_node(node_to_kill, allow_graceful=False)
-    cluster.add_node(
+    node_to_kill = cluster.add_node(
         num_cpus=1, resources={"node1": 1}, object_store_memory=10**8)
 
     if reconstruction_enabled:
         ray.get(dependent_task.remote(obj))
     else:
-        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayTaskError) as e:
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayTaskError):
             ray.get(dependent_task.remote(obj))
-            with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
-                raise e.as_instanceof_cause()
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
+            ray.get(obj)
+
+    # Losing the object a second time will cause reconstruction to fail because
+    # we have reached the max task retries.
+    cluster.remove_node(node_to_kill, allow_graceful=False)
+    cluster.add_node(
+        num_cpus=1, resources={"node1": 1}, object_store_memory=10**8)
+
+    if reconstruction_enabled:
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectReconstructionFailedError):
+            ray.get(obj)
+    else:
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
+            ray.get(obj)
 
 
+# TODO(swang): Add a test to check for ObjectReconstructionFailedError if we
+# fail to reconstruct a ray.put object.
 @pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform == "win32", reason="Very flaky on Windows.")
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("reconstruction_enabled", [False, True])
 def test_basic_reconstruction_put(ray_start_cluster, reconstruction_enabled):
@@ -287,10 +300,79 @@ def test_basic_reconstruction_actor_task(ray_start_cluster,
     if reconstruction_enabled:
         ray.get(dependent_task.remote(obj))
     else:
-        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayTaskError) as e:
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayTaskError):
             ray.get(dependent_task.remote(obj))
-            with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
-                raise e.as_instanceof_cause()
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
+            ray.get(obj)
+
+    # Make sure the actor handle is still usable.
+    pid = ray.get(a.pid.remote())
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform == "win32", reason="Very flaky on Windows.")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("reconstruction_enabled", [False, True])
+def test_basic_reconstruction_actor_lineage_disabled(ray_start_cluster,
+                                                     reconstruction_enabled):
+    config = {
+        "num_heartbeats_timeout": 10,
+        "raylet_heartbeat_period_milliseconds": 100,
+        "object_timeout_milliseconds": 200,
+    }
+    # Workaround to reset the config to the default value.
+    if not reconstruction_enabled:
+        config["lineage_pinning_enabled"] = False
+
+    cluster = ray_start_cluster
+    # Head node with no resources.
+    cluster.add_node(
+        num_cpus=0,
+        _system_config=config,
+        enable_object_reconstruction=reconstruction_enabled)
+    ray.init(address=cluster.address)
+    # Node to place the initial object.
+    node_to_kill = cluster.add_node(
+        num_cpus=1, resources={"node1": 2}, object_store_memory=10**8)
+    cluster.add_node(
+        num_cpus=1, resources={"node2": 1}, object_store_memory=10**8)
+    cluster.wait_for_nodes()
+
+    # Actor can be restarted but its outputs cannot be reconstructed.
+    @ray.remote(max_restarts=-1, resources={"node1": 1}, num_cpus=0)
+    class Actor:
+        def __init__(self):
+            pass
+
+        def large_object(self):
+            return np.zeros(10**7, dtype=np.uint8)
+
+        def pid(self):
+            return os.getpid()
+
+    @ray.remote
+    def dependent_task(x):
+        return
+
+    a = Actor.remote()
+    pid = ray.get(a.pid.remote())
+    obj = a.large_object.remote()
+    ray.get(dependent_task.options(resources={"node1": 1}).remote(obj))
+
+    # Workaround to kill the actor process too since there is a bug where the
+    # actor's plasma client hangs after the plasma store has exited.
+    os.kill(pid, SIGKILL)
+
+    cluster.remove_node(node_to_kill, allow_graceful=False)
+    cluster.add_node(
+        num_cpus=1, resources={"node1": 2}, object_store_memory=10**8)
+
+    wait_for_pid_to_exit(pid)
+
+    if reconstruction_enabled:
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectReconstructionFailedError):
+            ray.get(obj)
+    else:
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
+            ray.get(obj)
 
     # Make sure the actor handle is still usable.
     pid = ray.get(a.pid.remote())
@@ -369,12 +451,13 @@ def test_basic_reconstruction_actor_constructor(ray_start_cluster,
     if reconstruction_enabled:
         ray.get(a.dependent_task.remote(obj))
     else:
-        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayActorError) as e:
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayActorError) as exc_info:
             x = a.dependent_task.remote(obj)
             print(x)
             ray.get(x)
-            with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
-                raise e.get_creation_task_error()
+        exc = str(exc_info.value)
+        assert "arguments" in exc
+        assert "ObjectLostError" in exc
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skip(reason="This hangs due to a deadlock in admission control.")
@@ -424,6 +507,23 @@ def test_multiple_downstream_tasks(ray_start_cluster, reconstruction_enabled):
     for obj in downstream:
         ray.get(dependent_task.options(resources={"node1": 1}).remote(obj))
 
+    cluster.remove_node(node_to_kill, allow_graceful=False)
+    node_to_kill = cluster.add_node(
+        num_cpus=1, resources={"node1": 1}, object_store_memory=10**8)
+
+    if reconstruction_enabled:
+        for obj in downstream:
+            ray.get(dependent_task.options(resources={"node1": 1}).remote(obj))
+    else:
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayTaskError):
+            for obj in downstream:
+                ray.get(
+                    dependent_task.options(resources={
+                        "node1": 1
+                    }).remote(obj))
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
+            ray.get(obj)
+
     cluster.remove_node(node_to_kill, allow_graceful=False)
     cluster.add_node(
         num_cpus=1, resources={"node1": 1}, object_store_memory=10**8)
@@ -432,14 +532,9 @@ def test_multiple_downstream_tasks(ray_start_cluster, reconstruction_enabled):
         for obj in downstream:
             ray.get(dependent_task.options(resources={"node1": 1}).remote(obj))
     else:
-        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayTaskError) as e:
-            for obj in downstream:
-                ray.get(
-                    dependent_task.options(resources={
-                        "node1": 1
-                    }).remote(obj))
+        for obj in downstream:
             with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
-                raise e.as_instanceof_cause()
+                ray.get(obj)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skip(reason="This hangs due to a deadlock in admission control.")
@@ -488,10 +583,10 @@ def test_reconstruction_chain(ray_start_cluster, reconstruction_enabled):
     if reconstruction_enabled:
         ray.get(dependent_task.remote(obj))
     else:
-        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayTaskError) as e:
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.RayTaskError):
             ray.get(dependent_task.remote(obj))
-            with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
-                raise e.as_instanceof_cause()
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
+            ray.get(obj)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skip(reason="This hangs due to a deadlock in admission control.")
diff --git a/python/ray/tests/test_reference_counting.py b/python/ray/tests/test_reference_counting.py
index e7693bbee..f7cb02ac2 100644
--- a/python/ray/tests/test_reference_counting.py
+++ b/python/ray/tests/test_reference_counting.py
@@ -415,8 +415,11 @@ def test_recursive_serialized_reference(one_worker_100MiB, use_ray_put,
     try:
         assert ray.get(tail_oid) is None
         assert not failure
-    # TODO(edoakes): this should raise WorkerError.
-    except ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError:
+    except ray.exceptions.OwnerDiedError:
+        # There is only 1 core, so the same worker will execute all `recursive`
+        # tasks. Therefore, if we kill the worker during the last task, its
+        # owner (the worker that executed the second-to-last task) will also
+        # have died.
         assert failure
 
     # Reference should be gone, check that array gets evicted.
@@ -494,15 +497,21 @@ def test_worker_holding_serialized_reference(one_worker_100MiB, use_ray_put,
         return
 
     @ray.remote
-    def launch_pending_task(ref, signal):
-        return child.remote(ref[0], signal.wait.remote())
+    class Submitter:
+        def __init__(self):
+            pass
+
+        def launch_pending_task(self, ref, signal):
+            return child.remote(ref[0], signal.wait.remote())
 
     signal = SignalActor.remote()
 
     # Test that the reference held by the actor isn't evicted.
     array_oid = put_object(
         np.zeros(20 * 1024 * 1024, dtype=np.uint8), use_ray_put)
-    child_return_id = ray.get(launch_pending_task.remote([array_oid], signal))
+    s = Submitter.remote()
+    child_return_id = ray.get(
+        s.launch_pending_task.remote([array_oid], signal))
 
     # Remove the local reference.
     array_oid_bytes = array_oid.binary()
@@ -515,7 +524,7 @@ def test_worker_holding_serialized_reference(one_worker_100MiB, use_ray_put,
     try:
         ray.get(child_return_id)
         assert not failure
-    except (ray.exceptions.WorkerCrashedError, ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
+    except ray.exceptions.WorkerCrashedError:
         assert failure
     del child_return_id
 
diff --git a/python/ray/tests/test_reference_counting_2.py b/python/ray/tests/test_reference_counting_2.py
index 08e7364f9..a5f9597ed 100644
--- a/python/ray/tests/test_reference_counting_2.py
+++ b/python/ray/tests/test_reference_counting_2.py
@@ -91,12 +91,15 @@ def test_recursively_nest_ids(one_worker_100MiB, use_ray_put, failure):
 
     # Fulfill the dependency, causing the tail task to finish.
     ray.get(signal.send.remote())
-    try:
+    if not failure:
         ray.get(tail_oid)
-        assert not failure
-    # TODO(edoakes): this should raise WorkerError.
-    except ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError:
-        assert failure
+    else:
+        # There is only 1 core, so the same worker will execute all `recursive`
+        # tasks. Therefore, if we kill the worker during the last task, its
+        # owner (the worker that executed the second-to-last task) will also
+        # have died.
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.OwnerDiedError):
+            ray.get(tail_oid)
 
     # Reference should be gone, check that array gets evicted.
     _fill_object_store_and_get(array_oid_bytes, succeed=False)
@@ -233,8 +236,11 @@ def test_recursively_pass_returned_object_ref(one_worker_100MiB, use_ray_put,
         ray.get(outer_oid)
         _fill_object_store_and_get(inner_oid)
         assert not failure
-    # TODO(edoakes): this should raise WorkerError.
-    except ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError:
+    except ray.exceptions.OwnerDiedError:
+        # There is only 1 core, so the same worker will execute all `recursive`
+        # tasks. Therefore, if we kill the worker during the last task, its
+        # owner (the worker that executed the second-to-last task) will also
+        # have died.
         assert failure
 
     inner_oid_bytes = inner_oid.binary()
@@ -286,6 +292,10 @@ def test_recursively_return_borrowed_object_ref(one_worker_100MiB, use_ray_put,
     # Reference should be gone, check that returned ID gets evicted.
     _fill_object_store_and_get(final_oid_bytes, succeed=False)
 
+    if failure:
+        with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.OwnerDiedError):
+            ray.get(final_oid)
+
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("failure", [False, True])
 def test_borrowed_id_failure(one_worker_100MiB, failure):
@@ -314,7 +324,8 @@ def test_borrowed_id_failure(one_worker_100MiB, failure):
         def resolve_ref(self):
             assert self.ref is not None
             if failure:
-                with pytest.raises(ray.exceptions.ObjectLostError):
+                with pytest.raises(
+                        ray.exceptions.ReferenceCountingAssertionError):
                     ray.get(self.ref)
             else:
                 ray.get(self.ref)
diff --git a/python/ray/tests/test_traceback.py b/python/ray/tests/test_traceback.py
index bc136eeef..3081bcc6e 100644
--- a/python/ray/tests/test_traceback.py
+++ b/python/ray/tests/test_traceback.py
@@ -174,9 +174,9 @@ ZeroDivisionError: division by zero"""
 def test_dep_failure(ray_start_regular):
     """Test the stacktrace genereated due to dependency failures."""
     expected_output = """ray::f() (pid=XXX, ip=YYY) # noqa
-  Some of the input arguments for this task could not be computed:
+  At least one of the input arguments for this task could not be computed:
 ray.exceptions.RayTaskError: ray::a() (pid=XXX, ip=YYY)
-  Some of the input arguments for this task could not be computed:
+  At least one of the input arguments for this task could not be computed:
 ray.exceptions.RayTaskError: ray::b() (pid=XXX, ip=YYY)
   File "FILE", line ZZ, in b
     raise ValueError("FILE")
diff --git a/src/ray/core_worker/core_worker.cc b/src/ray/core_worker/core_worker.cc
index 4df786088..7775942f4 100644
--- a/src/ray/core_worker/core_worker.cc
+++ b/src/ray/core_worker/core_worker.cc
@@ -706,8 +706,10 @@ CoreWorker::CoreWorker(const CoreWorkerOptions &options, const WorkerID &worker_
   object_recovery_manager_ = std::make_unique<ObjectRecoveryManager>(
       rpc_address_, raylet_client_factory, local_raylet_client_, object_lookup_fn,
       task_manager_, reference_counter_, memory_store_,
-      [this](const ObjectID &object_id, bool pin_object) {
-        RAY_CHECK_OK(Put(RayObject(rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE),
+      [this](const ObjectID &object_id, rpc::ErrorType reason, bool pin_object) {
+        RAY_LOG(DEBUG) << "Failed to recover object " << object_id << " due to "
+                       << rpc::ErrorType_Name(reason);
+        RAY_CHECK_OK(Put(RayObject(reason),
                          /*contained_object_ids=*/{}, object_id,
                          /*pin_object=*/pin_object));
       },
@@ -1458,8 +1460,7 @@ Status CoreWorker::Delete(const std::vector<ObjectID> &object_ids, bool local_on
   // no longer reachable.
   memory_store_->Delete(object_ids);
   for (const auto &object_id : object_ids) {
-    RAY_CHECK(memory_store_->Put(RayObject(rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE),
-                                 object_id));
+    RAY_CHECK(memory_store_->Put(RayObject(rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_DELETED), object_id));
   }
 
   // We only delete from plasma, which avoids hangs (issue #7105). In-memory
diff --git a/src/ray/core_worker/future_resolver.cc b/src/ray/core_worker/future_resolver.cc
index 024881e36..a46d38d96 100644
--- a/src/ray/core_worker/future_resolver.cc
+++ b/src/ray/core_worker/future_resolver.cc
@@ -45,14 +45,18 @@ void FutureResolver::ProcessResolvedObject(const ObjectID &object_id,
                      << " that was deserialized: " << status.ToString();
   }
 
-  if (!status.ok() || reply.status() == rpc::GetObjectStatusReply::OUT_OF_SCOPE) {
-    // The owner is gone or the owner replied that the object has gone
-    // out of scope (this is an edge case in the distributed ref counting
-    // protocol where a borrower dies before it can notify the owner of
-    // another borrower). Store an error so that an exception will be
+  if (!status.ok()) {
+    // The owner is unreachable. Store an error so that an exception will be
     // thrown immediately when the worker tries to get the value.
-    RAY_UNUSED(in_memory_store_->Put(RayObject(rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE),
-                                     object_id));
+    RAY_UNUSED(in_memory_store_->Put(RayObject(rpc::ErrorType::OWNER_DIED), object_id));
+  } else if (reply.status() == rpc::GetObjectStatusReply::OUT_OF_SCOPE) {
+    // The owner replied that the object has gone out of scope (this is an edge
+    // case in the distributed ref counting protocol where a borrower dies
+    // before it can notify the owner of another borrower). Store an error so
+    // that an exception will be thrown immediately when the worker tries to
+    // get the value.
+    RAY_UNUSED(
+        in_memory_store_->Put(RayObject(rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_DELETED), object_id));
   } else if (reply.status() == rpc::GetObjectStatusReply::CREATED) {
     // The object is either an indicator that the object is in Plasma, or
     // the object has been returned directly in the reply. In either
diff --git a/src/ray/core_worker/object_recovery_manager.cc b/src/ray/core_worker/object_recovery_manager.cc
index d2c2f974e..966911fb9 100644
--- a/src/ray/core_worker/object_recovery_manager.cc
+++ b/src/ray/core_worker/object_recovery_manager.cc
@@ -34,8 +34,7 @@ bool ObjectRecoveryManager::RecoverObject(const ObjectID &object_id) {
   if (!owned_by_us) {
     RAY_LOG(DEBUG) << "Reconstruction for borrowed objects (" << object_id
                    << ") is not supported";
-    reconstruction_failure_callback_(object_id, /*pin_object=*/false);
-    return true;
+    return false;
   }
 
   bool already_pending_recovery = true;
@@ -81,7 +80,9 @@ void ObjectRecoveryManager::PinOrReconstructObject(
     // There are no more copies to pin, try to reconstruct the object.
     ReconstructObject(object_id);
   } else {
-    reconstruction_failure_callback_(object_id, /*pin_object=*/true);
+    // All copies lost, and lineage reconstruction is disabled.
+    recovery_failure_callback_(object_id, rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_LOST,
+                               /*pin_object=*/true);
   }
 }
 
@@ -143,12 +144,14 @@ void ObjectRecoveryManager::ReconstructObject(const ObjectID &object_id) {
         RAY_LOG(INFO) << "Failed to reconstruct object " << dep << ": "
                       << status.message();
         // We do not pin the dependency because we may not be the owner.
-        reconstruction_failure_callback_(dep, /*pin_object=*/false);
+        recovery_failure_callback_(dep, rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE,
+                                   /*pin_object=*/false);
       }
     }
   } else {
     RAY_LOG(INFO) << "Failed to reconstruct object " << object_id;
-    reconstruction_failure_callback_(object_id, /*pin_object=*/true);
+    recovery_failure_callback_(object_id, rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE,
+                               /*pin_object=*/true);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/ray/core_worker/object_recovery_manager.h b/src/ray/core_worker/object_recovery_manager.h
index 5932ea6ef..cbabf310e 100644
--- a/src/ray/core_worker/object_recovery_manager.h
+++ b/src/ray/core_worker/object_recovery_manager.h
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ typedef std::function<void(const ObjectID &object_id,
                            const std::vector<rpc::Address> &raylet_locations)>
     ObjectLookupCallback;
 
+// A callback for if we fail to recover an object.
+typedef std::function<void(const ObjectID &object_id, rpc::ErrorType reason,
+                           bool pin_object)>
+    ObjectRecoveryFailureCallback;
+
 class ObjectRecoveryManager {
  public:
   ObjectRecoveryManager(const rpc::Address &rpc_address,
@@ -44,8 +49,7 @@ class ObjectRecoveryManager {
                         std::shared_ptr<TaskResubmissionInterface> task_resubmitter,
                         std::shared_ptr<ReferenceCounter> reference_counter,
                         std::shared_ptr<CoreWorkerMemoryStore> in_memory_store,
-                        std::function<void(const ObjectID &object_id, bool pin_object)>
-                            reconstruction_failure_callback,
+                        const ObjectRecoveryFailureCallback &recovery_failure_callback,
                         bool lineage_reconstruction_enabled)
       : task_resubmitter_(task_resubmitter),
         reference_counter_(reference_counter),
@@ -54,7 +58,7 @@ class ObjectRecoveryManager {
         local_object_pinning_client_(local_object_pinning_client),
         object_lookup_(object_lookup),
         in_memory_store_(in_memory_store),
-        reconstruction_failure_callback_(reconstruction_failure_callback),
+        recovery_failure_callback_(recovery_failure_callback),
         lineage_reconstruction_enabled_(lineage_reconstruction_enabled) {}
 
   /// Recover an object that was stored in plasma. This will only succeed for
@@ -127,8 +131,7 @@ class ObjectRecoveryManager {
   std::shared_ptr<CoreWorkerMemoryStore> in_memory_store_;
 
   /// Callback to call if recovery fails.
-  const std::function<void(const ObjectID &object_id, bool pin_object)>
-      reconstruction_failure_callback_;
+  const ObjectRecoveryFailureCallback recovery_failure_callback_;
 
   /// Whether lineage reconstruction is enabled. If disabled, then we will try
   /// to pin new copies for a lost object, but we will never reconstruct it
diff --git a/src/ray/core_worker/reference_count.cc b/src/ray/core_worker/reference_count.cc
index aaf9d5ebe..98ad8dcd2 100644
--- a/src/ray/core_worker/reference_count.cc
+++ b/src/ray/core_worker/reference_count.cc
@@ -999,8 +999,8 @@ absl::optional<absl::flat_hash_set<NodeID>> ReferenceCounter::GetObjectLocations
   absl::MutexLock lock(&mutex_);
   auto it = object_id_refs_.find(object_id);
   if (it == object_id_refs_.end()) {
-    RAY_LOG(WARNING) << "Tried to get the object locations for an object " << object_id
-                     << " that doesn't exist in the reference table";
+    RAY_LOG(DEBUG) << "Tried to get the object locations for an object " << object_id
+                   << " that doesn't exist in the reference table";
     return absl::nullopt;
   }
   return it->second.locations;
@@ -1151,9 +1151,13 @@ Status ReferenceCounter::FillObjectInformation(
   absl::MutexLock lock(&mutex_);
   auto it = object_id_refs_.find(object_id);
   if (it == object_id_refs_.end()) {
-    return Status::ObjectNotFound("Object " + object_id.Hex() + " not found");
+    RAY_LOG(WARNING) << "Object locations requested for " << object_id
+                     << ", but ref already removed. This may be a bug in the distributed "
+                        "reference counting protocol.";
+    object_info->set_ref_removed(true);
+  } else {
+    FillObjectInformationInternal(it, object_info);
   }
-  FillObjectInformationInternal(it, object_info);
   return Status::OK();
 }
 
@@ -1173,10 +1177,17 @@ void ReferenceCounter::PublishObjectLocationSnapshot(const ObjectID &object_id)
   absl::MutexLock lock(&mutex_);
   auto it = object_id_refs_.find(object_id);
   if (it == object_id_refs_.end()) {
-    RAY_LOG(DEBUG) << "Tried to register a location subscriber for an object "
-                   << object_id << " that doesn't exist in the reference table."
-                   << " The object has probably already been freed.";
-    // Consider the object is already freed, and not subscribeable.
+    RAY_LOG(WARNING) << "Object locations requested for " << object_id
+                     << ", but ref already removed. This may be a bug in the distributed "
+                        "reference counting protocol.";
+    // First let subscribers handle this error.
+    rpc::PubMessage pub_message;
+    pub_message.set_key_id(object_id.Binary());
+    pub_message.set_channel_type(rpc::ChannelType::WORKER_OBJECT_LOCATIONS_CHANNEL);
+    pub_message.mutable_worker_object_locations_message()->set_ref_removed(true);
+    object_info_publisher_->Publish(rpc::ChannelType::WORKER_OBJECT_LOCATIONS_CHANNEL,
+                                    pub_message, object_id.Binary());
+    // Then, publish a failure to subscribers since this object is unreachable.
     object_info_publisher_->PublishFailure(
         rpc::ChannelType::WORKER_OBJECT_LOCATIONS_CHANNEL, object_id.Binary());
     return;
diff --git a/src/ray/core_worker/test/object_recovery_manager_test.cc b/src/ray/core_worker/test/object_recovery_manager_test.cc
index 1f9a89979..4625831d9 100644
--- a/src/ray/core_worker/test/object_recovery_manager_test.cc
+++ b/src/ray/core_worker/test/object_recovery_manager_test.cc
@@ -105,9 +105,9 @@ class MockObjectDirectory {
   std::unordered_map<ObjectID, std::vector<rpc::Address>> locations;
 };
 
-class ObjectRecoveryManagerTest : public ::testing::Test {
+class ObjectRecoveryManagerTestBase : public ::testing::Test {
  public:
-  ObjectRecoveryManagerTest()
+  ObjectRecoveryManagerTestBase(bool lineage_enabled)
       : local_raylet_id_(NodeID::FromRandom()),
         publisher_(std::make_shared<mock_pubsub::MockPublisher>()),
         subscriber_(std::make_shared<mock_pubsub::MockSubscriber>()),
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ class ObjectRecoveryManagerTest : public ::testing::Test {
         task_resubmitter_(std::make_shared<MockTaskResubmitter>()),
         ref_counter_(std::make_shared<ReferenceCounter>(
             rpc::Address(), publisher_.get(), subscriber_.get(),
-            /*lineage_pinning_enabled=*/true)),
+            /*lineage_pinning_enabled=*/lineage_enabled)),
         manager_(rpc::Address(),
                  [&](const std::string &ip, int port) { return raylet_client_; },
                  raylet_client_,
@@ -126,9 +126,9 @@ class ObjectRecoveryManagerTest : public ::testing::Test {
                    return Status::OK();
                  },
                  task_resubmitter_, ref_counter_, memory_store_,
-                 [&](const ObjectID &object_id, bool pin_object) {
+                 [&](const ObjectID &object_id, rpc::ErrorType reason, bool pin_object) {
                    RAY_CHECK(failed_reconstructions_.count(object_id) == 0);
-                   failed_reconstructions_[object_id] = pin_object;
+                   failed_reconstructions_[object_id] = reason;
 
                    std::string meta =
                        std::to_string(static_cast<int>(rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_IN_PLASMA));
@@ -140,10 +140,10 @@ class ObjectRecoveryManagerTest : public ::testing::Test {
                                          std::vector<rpc::ObjectReference>());
                    RAY_CHECK(memory_store_->Put(data, object_id));
                  },
-                 /*lineage_reconstruction_enabled=*/true) {}
+                 /*lineage_reconstruction_enabled=*/lineage_enabled) {}
 
   NodeID local_raylet_id_;
-  std::unordered_map<ObjectID, bool> failed_reconstructions_;
+  std::unordered_map<ObjectID, rpc::ErrorType> failed_reconstructions_;
 
   std::shared_ptr<mock_pubsub::MockPublisher> publisher_;
   std::shared_ptr<mock_pubsub::MockSubscriber> subscriber_;
@@ -155,21 +155,30 @@ class ObjectRecoveryManagerTest : public ::testing::Test {
   ObjectRecoveryManager manager_;
 };
 
-TEST_F(ObjectRecoveryManagerTest, TestNoReconstruction) {
+class ObjectRecoveryLineageDisabledTest : public ObjectRecoveryManagerTestBase {
+ public:
+  ObjectRecoveryLineageDisabledTest() : ObjectRecoveryManagerTestBase(false) {}
+};
+
+class ObjectRecoveryManagerTest : public ObjectRecoveryManagerTestBase {
+ public:
+  ObjectRecoveryManagerTest() : ObjectRecoveryManagerTestBase(true) {}
+};
+
+TEST_F(ObjectRecoveryLineageDisabledTest, TestNoReconstruction) {
   // Lineage recording disabled.
   ObjectID object_id = ObjectID::FromRandom();
   ref_counter_->AddOwnedObject(object_id, {}, rpc::Address(), "", 0, true);
   ASSERT_TRUE(manager_.RecoverObject(object_id));
   ASSERT_TRUE(failed_reconstructions_.empty());
   ASSERT_TRUE(object_directory_->Flush() == 1);
-  ASSERT_TRUE(failed_reconstructions_.count(object_id) == 1);
+  ASSERT_EQ(failed_reconstructions_[object_id], rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_LOST);
   ASSERT_EQ(task_resubmitter_->num_tasks_resubmitted, 0);
 
   // Borrowed object.
   object_id = ObjectID::FromRandom();
   ref_counter_->AddLocalReference(object_id, "");
-  ASSERT_TRUE(manager_.RecoverObject(object_id));
-  ASSERT_TRUE(failed_reconstructions_.count(object_id) == 1);
+  ASSERT_FALSE(manager_.RecoverObject(object_id));
   ASSERT_EQ(task_resubmitter_->num_tasks_resubmitted, 0);
 
   // Ref went out of scope.
@@ -179,6 +188,19 @@ TEST_F(ObjectRecoveryManagerTest, TestNoReconstruction) {
   ASSERT_EQ(task_resubmitter_->num_tasks_resubmitted, 0);
 }
 
+TEST_F(ObjectRecoveryLineageDisabledTest, TestPinNewCopy) {
+  ObjectID object_id = ObjectID::FromRandom();
+  ref_counter_->AddOwnedObject(object_id, {}, rpc::Address(), "", 0, true);
+  std::vector<rpc::Address> addresses({rpc::Address()});
+  object_directory_->SetLocations(object_id, addresses);
+
+  ASSERT_TRUE(manager_.RecoverObject(object_id));
+  ASSERT_TRUE(object_directory_->Flush() == 1);
+  ASSERT_TRUE(raylet_client_->Flush() == 1);
+  ASSERT_TRUE(failed_reconstructions_.empty());
+  ASSERT_EQ(task_resubmitter_->num_tasks_resubmitted, 0);
+}
+
 TEST_F(ObjectRecoveryManagerTest, TestPinNewCopy) {
   ObjectID object_id = ObjectID::FromRandom();
   ref_counter_->AddOwnedObject(object_id, {}, rpc::Address(), "", 0, true);
@@ -256,6 +278,36 @@ TEST_F(ObjectRecoveryManagerTest, TestReconstructionChain) {
   }
 }
 
+TEST_F(ObjectRecoveryManagerTest, TestReconstructionFails) {
+  ObjectID object_id = ObjectID::FromRandom();
+  ref_counter_->AddOwnedObject(object_id, {}, rpc::Address(), "", 0, true);
+
+  ASSERT_TRUE(manager_.RecoverObject(object_id));
+  ASSERT_TRUE(object_directory_->Flush() == 1);
+
+  ASSERT_TRUE(failed_reconstructions_[object_id] ==
+              rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE);
+  ASSERT_EQ(task_resubmitter_->num_tasks_resubmitted, 0);
+}
+
+TEST_F(ObjectRecoveryManagerTest, TestDependencyReconstructionFails) {
+  ObjectID dep_id = ObjectID::FromRandom();
+  ref_counter_->AddOwnedObject(dep_id, {}, rpc::Address(), "", 0, true);
+
+  ObjectID object_id = ObjectID::FromRandom();
+  ref_counter_->AddOwnedObject(object_id, {}, rpc::Address(), "", 0, true);
+  task_resubmitter_->AddTask(object_id.TaskId(), {dep_id});
+  RAY_LOG(INFO) << object_id;
+
+  ASSERT_TRUE(manager_.RecoverObject(object_id));
+  ASSERT_EQ(object_directory_->Flush(), 1);
+  // Trigger callback for dep ID.
+  ASSERT_EQ(object_directory_->Flush(), 1);
+  ASSERT_EQ(failed_reconstructions_[dep_id], rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE);
+  ASSERT_EQ(failed_reconstructions_.count(object_id), 0);
+  ASSERT_EQ(task_resubmitter_->num_tasks_resubmitted, 1);
+}
+
 }  // namespace core
 }  // namespace ray
 
diff --git a/src/ray/object_manager/ownership_based_object_directory.cc b/src/ray/object_manager/ownership_based_object_directory.cc
index 916dd0e8b..6e0b1ca48 100644
--- a/src/ray/object_manager/ownership_based_object_directory.cc
+++ b/src/ray/object_manager/ownership_based_object_directory.cc
@@ -269,14 +269,21 @@ ray::Status OwnershipBasedObjectDirectory::SubscribeObjectLocations(
     auto msg_published_callback = [this, object_id](const rpc::PubMessage &pub_message) {
       RAY_CHECK(pub_message.has_worker_object_locations_message());
       const auto &location_info = pub_message.worker_object_locations_message();
-      ObjectLocationSubscriptionCallback(location_info, object_id,
-                                         /*location_lookup_failed*/ false);
+      ObjectLocationSubscriptionCallback(
+          location_info, object_id,
+          /*location_lookup_failed*/ !location_info.ref_removed());
+      if (location_info.ref_removed()) {
+        mark_as_failed_(object_id, rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_DELETED);
+      }
     };
 
     auto failure_callback = [this, owner_address](const std::string &object_id_binary) {
       const auto object_id = ObjectID::FromBinary(object_id_binary);
-      mark_as_failed_(object_id, rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE);
+      mark_as_failed_(object_id, rpc::ErrorType::OWNER_DIED);
       rpc::WorkerObjectLocationsPubMessage location_info;
+      // Location lookup can fail if the owner is reachable but no longer has a
+      // record of this ObjectRef, most likely due to an issue with the
+      // distributed reference counting protocol.
       ObjectLocationSubscriptionCallback(location_info, object_id,
                                          /*location_lookup_failed*/ true);
     };
@@ -399,7 +406,13 @@ ray::Status OwnershipBasedObjectDirectory::LookupLocations(
           if (!status.ok()) {
             RAY_LOG(ERROR) << "Worker " << worker_id << " failed to get the location for "
                            << object_id << status.ToString();
-            mark_as_failed_(object_id, rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE);
+            mark_as_failed_(object_id, rpc::ErrorType::OWNER_DIED);
+          } else if (reply.object_location_info().ref_removed()) {
+            RAY_LOG(ERROR)
+                << "Worker " << worker_id << " failed to get the location for "
+                << object_id
+                << ", object already released by distributed reference counting protocol";
+            mark_as_failed_(object_id, rpc::ErrorType::OBJECT_DELETED);
           } else {
             UpdateObjectLocations(reply.object_location_info(), gcs_client_, &node_ids,
                                   &spilled_url, &spilled_node_id, &object_size);
diff --git a/src/ray/protobuf/common.proto b/src/ray/protobuf/common.proto
index e8d77bf6f..b2014248f 100644
--- a/src/ray/protobuf/common.proto
+++ b/src/ray/protobuf/common.proto
@@ -108,14 +108,12 @@ enum ErrorType {
   // Indicates that a task failed because the actor died unexpectedly before
   // finishing it.
   ACTOR_DIED = 1;
-  // Indicates that an object is lost and cannot be restarted.
-  // Note, this currently only happens to actor objects. When the actor's
-  // state is already after the object's creating task, the actor cannot
-  // re-run the task.
-  // TODO(hchen): we may want to reuse this error type for more cases. E.g.,
-  // 1) A object that was put by the driver.
-  // 2) The object's creating task is already cleaned up from GCS (this
-  // currently crashes raylet).
+  // This object was lost from distributed memory to a node failure or system
+  // error. We use this error when lineage reconstruction is enabled, but the
+  // object cannot be reconstructed but the lineage is not available..
+  // TODO(swang): We may want to break down this error type further, e.g.,
+  // object's lineage was evicted or object depended on an actor task that
+  // can't be reconstructed.
   OBJECT_UNRECONSTRUCTABLE = 2;
   // Indicates that a task failed due to user code failure.
   TASK_EXECUTION_EXCEPTION = 3;
@@ -129,6 +127,16 @@ enum ErrorType {
   ACTOR_CREATION_FAILED = 6;
   // Indicates that the runtime_env failed to be created.
   RUNTIME_ENV_SETUP_FAILED = 7;
+  // This object was lost from distributed memory to a node failure or system
+  // error. We use this error when lineage reconstruction is disabled.
+  OBJECT_LOST = 8;
+  // This object is unreachable because its owner has died.
+  OWNER_DIED = 9;
+  // This object is unreachable because the owner is alive but no longer has a
+  // record of this object, meaning that the physical object has likely already
+  // been deleted from distributed memory. This can happen in distributed
+  // reference counting, due to a bug or corner case.
+  OBJECT_DELETED = 10;
 }
 
 /// The task exception encapsulates all information about task
diff --git a/src/ray/protobuf/pubsub.proto b/src/ray/protobuf/pubsub.proto
index 48ffc189e..fc046afcf 100644
--- a/src/ray/protobuf/pubsub.proto
+++ b/src/ray/protobuf/pubsub.proto
@@ -75,6 +75,11 @@ message WorkerObjectLocationsPubMessage {
   // The ID of the node that stores the primary copy in plasma.
   // This could be Nil if the object has been evicted or inlined.
   bytes primary_node_id = 6;
+  // If this is set, then the owner is alive but no longer has an entry for
+  // this reference. This can happen if there is a bug in the distributed ref
+  // counting protocol that causes the object to be released while there are
+  // still references.
+  bool ref_removed = 7;
 }
 
 /// Indicating the subscriber needs to handle failure callback.
diff --git a/src/ray/raylet/node_manager.cc b/src/ray/raylet/node_manager.cc
index 816dd54f9..b8660f8ad 100644
--- a/src/ray/raylet/node_manager.cc
+++ b/src/ray/raylet/node_manager.cc
@@ -1710,6 +1710,10 @@ void NodeManager::HandleCancelWorkerLease(const rpc::CancelWorkerLeaseRequest &r
 void NodeManager::MarkObjectsAsFailed(
     const ErrorType &error_type, const std::vector<rpc::ObjectReference> objects_to_fail,
     const JobID &job_id) {
+  // TODO(swang): Ideally we should return the error directly to the client
+  // that needs this object instead of storing the object in plasma, which is
+  // not guaranteed to succeed. This avoids hanging the client if plasma is not
+  // reachable.
   const std::string meta = std::to_string(static_cast<int>(error_type));
   for (const auto &ref : objects_to_fail) {
     ObjectID object_id = ObjectID::FromBinary(ref.object_id());