diff --git a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/actions/editorialWorkflow.ts b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/actions/editorialWorkflow.ts
index b19ca886..ea0ac630 100644
--- a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/actions/editorialWorkflow.ts
+++ b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/actions/editorialWorkflow.ts
@@ -558,7 +558,7 @@ export function unpublishPublishedEntry(collection: Collection, slug: string) {
     const entryDraft = (Map().set('entry', entry) as unknown) as EntryDraft;
     dispatch(unpublishedEntryPersisting(collection, entry, transactionID));
     return backend
-      .deleteEntry(state.config, collection, slug)
+      .deleteEntry(state, collection, slug)
       .then(() =>
         backend.persistEntry({
           config: state.config,
diff --git a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/actions/entries.ts b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/actions/entries.ts
index f8eac767..c16c58d4 100644
--- a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/actions/entries.ts
+++ b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/actions/entries.ts
@@ -654,7 +654,7 @@ export function deleteEntry(collection: Collection, slug: string) {
 
     dispatch(entryDeleting(collection, slug));
     return backend
-      .deleteEntry(state.config, collection, slug)
+      .deleteEntry(state, collection, slug)
       .then(() => {
         return dispatch(entryDeleted(collection, slug));
       })
diff --git a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/backend.ts b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/backend.ts
index 047640ef..1ea9facf 100644
--- a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/backend.ts
+++ b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/backend.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { List, Map, fromJS } from 'immutable';
 import * as fuzzy from 'fuzzy';
 import { resolveFormat } from './formats/formats';
 import { selectUseWorkflow } from './reducers/config';
-import { selectMediaFilePath, selectMediaFolder } from './reducers/entries';
+import { selectMediaFilePath, selectMediaFolder, selectEntry } from './reducers/entries';
 import { selectIntegration } from './reducers/integrations';
 import {
   selectEntrySlug,
@@ -751,14 +751,25 @@ export class Backend {
     return entryObj.slug;
   }
 
-  async invokePrePublishEvent(entry: EntryMap) {
+  async invokeEventWithEntry(event: string, entry: EntryMap) {
     const { login, name } = (await this.currentUser()) as User;
-    await invokeEvent({ name: 'prePublish', data: { entry, author: { login, name } } });
+    await invokeEvent({ name: event, data: { entry, author: { login, name } } });
+  }
+
+  async invokePrePublishEvent(entry: EntryMap) {
+    await this.invokeEventWithEntry('prePublish', entry);
   }
 
   async invokePostPublishEvent(entry: EntryMap) {
-    const { login, name } = (await this.currentUser()) as User;
-    await invokeEvent({ name: 'postPublish', data: { entry, author: { login, name } } });
+    await this.invokeEventWithEntry('postPublish', entry);
+  }
+
+  async invokePreUnpublishEvent(entry: EntryMap) {
+    await this.invokeEventWithEntry('preUnpublish', entry);
+  }
+
+  async invokePostUnpublishEvent(entry: EntryMap) {
+    await this.invokeEventWithEntry('postUnpublish', entry);
   }
 
   async persistMedia(config: Config, file: AssetProxy) {
@@ -778,13 +789,14 @@ export class Backend {
     return this.implementation.persistMedia(file, options);
   }
 
-  async deleteEntry(config: Config, collection: Collection, slug: string) {
+  async deleteEntry(state: State, collection: Collection, slug: string) {
     const path = selectEntryPath(collection, slug) as string;
 
     if (!selectAllowDeletion(collection)) {
       throw new Error('Not allowed to delete entries in this collection');
     }
 
+    const config = state.config;
     const user = (await this.currentUser()) as User;
     const commitMessage = commitMessageFormatter(
       'delete',
@@ -798,7 +810,12 @@ export class Backend {
       },
       user.useOpenAuthoring,
     );
-    return this.implementation.deleteFile(path, commitMessage);
+
+    const entry = selectEntry(state.entries, collection.get('name'), slug);
+    await this.invokePreUnpublishEvent(entry);
+    const result = await this.implementation.deleteFile(path, commitMessage);
+    await this.invokePostUnpublishEvent(entry);
+    return result;
   }
 
   async deleteMedia(config: Config, path: string) {
diff --git a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/lib/__tests__/registry.spec.js b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/lib/__tests__/registry.spec.js
index 171c38f1..92d8a83c 100644
--- a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/lib/__tests__/registry.spec.js
+++ b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/lib/__tests__/registry.spec.js
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ describe('registry', () => {
   });
 
   describe('eventHandlers', () => {
-    const events = ['prePublish', 'postPublish'];
+    const events = ['prePublish', 'postPublish', 'preUnpublish', 'postUnpublish'];
 
     describe('registerEventListener', () => {
       it('should throw error on invalid event', () => {
diff --git a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/lib/registry.js b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/lib/registry.js
index ac5540c1..53ee4bb8 100644
--- a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/lib/registry.js
+++ b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/lib/registry.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import produce from 'immer';
 import { oneLine } from 'common-tags';
 import EditorComponent from 'ValueObjects/EditorComponent';
 
-const allowedEvents = ['prePublish', 'postPublish'];
+const allowedEvents = ['prePublish', 'postPublish', 'preUnpublish', 'postUnpublish'];
 const eventHandlers = {};
 allowedEvents.forEach(e => {
   eventHandlers[e] = [];
diff --git a/website/content/docs/beta-features.md b/website/content/docs/beta-features.md
index bca85d89..f4a57e55 100644
--- a/website/content/docs/beta-features.md
+++ b/website/content/docs/beta-features.md
@@ -394,6 +394,16 @@ CMS.registerEventListener({
   name: 'postPublish',
   handler: ({ author, entry }) => console.log(JSON.stringify({ author, data: entry.get('data') })),
 });
+
+CMS.registerEventListener({
+  name: 'preUnpublish',
+  handler: ({ author, entry }) => console.log(JSON.stringify({ author, data: entry.get('data') })),
+});
+
+CMS.registerEventListener({
+  name: 'postUnpublish',
+  handler: ({ author, entry }) => console.log(JSON.stringify({ author, data: entry.get('data') })),
+});
 ```
 
-> Supported events are `prePublish` and `postPublish`
+> Supported events are `prePublish`, `postPublish`, `preUnpublish` and `postUnpublish`