diff --git a/packages/next/next-server/server/image-optimizer.ts b/packages/next/next-server/server/image-optimizer.ts
index df6575a3cbc8d..7a5c64093b55a 100644
--- a/packages/next/next-server/server/image-optimizer.ts
+++ b/packages/next/next-server/server/image-optimizer.ts
@@ -135,9 +135,8 @@ export async function imageOptimizer(
   const upstreamRes = await fetch(href)
 
   if (!upstreamRes.ok) {
-    server.logError(
-      new Error(`Unexpected status ${upstreamRes.status} from upstream ${href}`)
-    )
+    res.statusCode = upstreamRes.status
+    res.end('"url" parameter is valid but upstream response is invalid')
     return { finished: true }
   }
 
diff --git a/test/integration/image-optimizer/test/index.test.js b/test/integration/image-optimizer/test/index.test.js
index 5d7c96d857bfa..73233695b4e1c 100644
--- a/test/integration/image-optimizer/test/index.test.js
+++ b/test/integration/image-optimizer/test/index.test.js
@@ -218,6 +218,16 @@ function runTests({ w, isDev }) {
     expect(await res.text()).toBe(`"url" parameter is invalid`)
   })
 
+  it('should fail when url fails to load an image', async () => {
+    const url = `http://localhost:${appPort}/not-an-image`
+    const query = { w, url, q: 100 }
+    const res = await fetchViaHTTP(appPort, '/_next/image', query, {})
+    expect(res.status).toBe(404)
+    expect(await res.text()).toBe(
+      `"url" parameter is valid but upstream response is invalid`
+    )
+  })
+
   it('should use cached image file when parameters are the same', async () => {
     await fs.remove(imagesDir)