diff --git a/gcc/cp/ChangeLog b/gcc/cp/ChangeLog
index edb50b5d7b52..c3ed2909324a 100644
--- a/gcc/cp/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/cp/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 2010-12-03  Jason Merrill  <jason@redhat.com>
 
+	PR c++/46645
+	* semantics.c (build_data_member_initialization): Remove assert.
+
 	PR c++/46058
 	* tree.c (lvalue_kind) [SCOPE_REF]: Handle non-dependent case.
 
diff --git a/gcc/cp/semantics.c b/gcc/cp/semantics.c
index 9b565daed840..2424e49a3c6e 100644
--- a/gcc/cp/semantics.c
+++ b/gcc/cp/semantics.c
@@ -5484,10 +5484,8 @@ build_data_member_initialization (tree t, VEC(constructor_elt,gc) **vec)
       init = unshare_expr (TREE_OPERAND (t, 1));
       if (TREE_CODE (member) == INDIRECT_REF)
 	{
-	  /* Don't put out anything for value-init of an empty base.  */
+	  /* Don't put out anything for an empty base.  */
 	  gcc_assert (is_empty_class (TREE_TYPE (member)));
-	  gcc_assert (TREE_CODE (init) == CONSTRUCTOR
-		      && CONSTRUCTOR_NELTS (init) == 0);
 	  return true;
 	}
     }