diff --git a/NEWS.adoc b/NEWS.adoc
index 7dbea85eb..1b5d44147 100644
--- a/NEWS.adoc
+++ b/NEWS.adoc
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ Bug fixes:
 
  - Fix wrapping of lines with multibyte characters. (#988)
 
+Improvements:
+
+ - Start blame on deleted lines in the stage view from HEAD so the line's origin can be traced. (#1008)
+
 tig-2.5.1
 ---------
 
diff --git a/include/tig/diff.h b/include/tig/diff.h
index f7cb97507..eca80ec35 100644
--- a/include/tig/diff.h
+++ b/include/tig/diff.h
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ enum status_code diff_init_highlight(struct view *view, struct diff_state *state
 bool diff_done_highlight(struct diff_state *state);
 
 unsigned int diff_get_lineno(struct view *view, struct line *line);
+unsigned int diff_get_old_lineno(struct view *view, struct line *line);
 const char *diff_get_pathname(struct view *view, struct line *line);
 
 extern struct view diff_view;
diff --git a/src/diff.c b/src/diff.c
index e38162c12..6d2ea740d 100644
--- a/src/diff.c
+++ b/src/diff.c
@@ -635,6 +635,39 @@ diff_get_lineno(struct view *view, struct line *line)
 	return lineno;
 }
 
+unsigned int
+diff_get_old_lineno(struct view *view, struct line *line)
+{
+	const struct line *header, *chunk;
+	unsigned int lineno;
+	struct chunk_header chunk_header;
+
+	/* Verify that we are after a diff header and one of its chunks */
+	header = find_prev_line_by_type(view, line, LINE_DIFF_HEADER);
+	chunk = find_prev_line_by_type(view, line, LINE_DIFF_CHUNK);
+	if (!header || !chunk || chunk < header) {
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * In a chunk header, the number after the '-' sign is the number of its
+	 * following line, in the old version of the file. We increment this
+	 * number for each non-addition line, until the given line position.
+	 */
+	if (!parse_chunk_header(&chunk_header, box_text(chunk))) {
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	lineno = chunk_header.old.position;
+
+	for (chunk++; chunk < line; chunk++)
+		if (chunk->type != LINE_DIFF_ADD &&
+		    chunk->type != LINE_DIFF_ADD2)
+			lineno++;
+
+	return lineno;
+}
+
 static enum request
 diff_trace_origin(struct view *view, struct line *line)
 {
diff --git a/src/stage.c b/src/stage.c
index 565c946a0..c1ce01ca9 100644
--- a/src/stage.c
+++ b/src/stage.c
@@ -444,8 +444,13 @@ stage_request(struct view *view, enum request request, struct line *line)
 				string_ncopy(view->env->file, file, strlen(file));
 		}
 
-		view->env->ref[0] = 0;
-		view->env->goto_lineno = diff_get_lineno(view, line);
+		if (!is_initial_commit() && line->type == LINE_DIFF_DEL) {
+			string_copy(view->env->ref, "HEAD");
+			view->env->goto_lineno = diff_get_old_lineno(view, line);
+		} else {
+			view->env->ref[0] = 0;
+			view->env->goto_lineno = diff_get_lineno(view, line);
+		}
 		if (view->env->goto_lineno > 0)
 			view->env->goto_lineno--;
 		return request;