diff --git a/mypyc/codegen/emit.py b/mypyc/codegen/emit.py
index a2e3d9849dca..8114e0517219 100644
--- a/mypyc/codegen/emit.py
+++ b/mypyc/codegen/emit.py
@@ -345,12 +345,6 @@ def tuple_c_declaration(self, rtuple: RTuple) -> list[str]:
                 result.append(f"{self.ctype_spaced(typ)}f{i};")
                 i += 1
         result.append(f"}} {rtuple.struct_name};")
-        values = self.tuple_undefined_value_helper(rtuple)
-        result.append(
-            "static {} {} = {{ {} }};".format(
-                self.ctype(rtuple), self.tuple_undefined_value(rtuple), "".join(values)
-            )
-        )
         result.append("#endif")
         result.append("")
 
@@ -470,23 +464,20 @@ def tuple_undefined_check_cond(
             return check
 
     def tuple_undefined_value(self, rtuple: RTuple) -> str:
-        return "tuple_undefined_" + rtuple.unique_id
+        """Undefined tuple value suitable in an expression."""
+        return f"({rtuple.struct_name}) {self.c_initializer_undefined_value(rtuple)}"
 
-    def tuple_undefined_value_helper(self, rtuple: RTuple) -> list[str]:
-        res = []
-        # see tuple_c_declaration()
-        if len(rtuple.types) == 0:
-            return [self.c_undefined_value(int_rprimitive)]
-        for item in rtuple.types:
-            if not isinstance(item, RTuple):
-                res.append(self.c_undefined_value(item))
-            else:
-                sub_list = self.tuple_undefined_value_helper(item)
-                res.append("{ ")
-                res.extend(sub_list)
-                res.append(" }")
-            res.append(", ")
-        return res[:-1]
+    def c_initializer_undefined_value(self, rtype: RType) -> str:
+        """Undefined value represented in a form suitable for variable initialization."""
+        if isinstance(rtype, RTuple):
+            if not rtype.types:
+                # Empty tuples contain a flag so that they can still indicate
+                # error values.
+                return f"{{ {int_rprimitive.c_undefined} }}"
+            items = ", ".join([self.c_initializer_undefined_value(t) for t in rtype.types])
+            return f"{{ {items} }}"
+        else:
+            return self.c_undefined_value(rtype)
 
     # Higher-level operations
 
diff --git a/mypyc/codegen/emitmodule.py b/mypyc/codegen/emitmodule.py
index 0e80ff6da1f2..f360fabbe8f6 100644
--- a/mypyc/codegen/emitmodule.py
+++ b/mypyc/codegen/emitmodule.py
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
 from mypyc.ir.func_ir import FuncIR
 from mypyc.ir.module_ir import ModuleIR, ModuleIRs, deserialize_modules
 from mypyc.ir.ops import DeserMaps, LoadLiteral
-from mypyc.ir.rtypes import RTuple, RType
+from mypyc.ir.rtypes import RType
 from mypyc.irbuild.main import build_ir
 from mypyc.irbuild.mapper import Mapper
 from mypyc.irbuild.prepare import load_type_map
@@ -1052,11 +1052,7 @@ def declare_finals(
     def final_definition(self, module: str, name: str, typ: RType, emitter: Emitter) -> str:
         static_name = emitter.static_name(name, module)
         # Here we rely on the fact that undefined value and error value are always the same
-        if isinstance(typ, RTuple):
-            # We need to inline because initializer must be static
-            undefined = "{{ {} }}".format("".join(emitter.tuple_undefined_value_helper(typ)))
-        else:
-            undefined = emitter.c_undefined_value(typ)
+        undefined = emitter.c_initializer_undefined_value(typ)
         return f"{emitter.ctype_spaced(typ)}{static_name} = {undefined};"
 
     def declare_static_pyobject(self, identifier: str, emitter: Emitter) -> None:
diff --git a/mypyc/lib-rt/CPy.h b/mypyc/lib-rt/CPy.h
index 7a3e16fe9d65..30d93be60989 100644
--- a/mypyc/lib-rt/CPy.h
+++ b/mypyc/lib-rt/CPy.h
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ typedef struct tuple_T3OOO {
     PyObject *f1;
     PyObject *f2;
 } tuple_T3OOO;
-static tuple_T3OOO tuple_undefined_T3OOO = { NULL, NULL, NULL };
 #endif
 
 // Our return tuple wrapper for dictionary iteration helper.
@@ -52,7 +51,6 @@ typedef struct tuple_T3CIO {
     CPyTagged f1;  // Last dict offset
     PyObject *f2;  // Next dictionary key or value
 } tuple_T3CIO;
-static tuple_T3CIO tuple_undefined_T3CIO = { 2, CPY_INT_TAG, NULL };
 #endif
 
 // Same as above but for both key and value.
@@ -64,7 +62,6 @@ typedef struct tuple_T4CIOO {
     PyObject *f2;  // Next dictionary key
     PyObject *f3;  // Next dictionary value
 } tuple_T4CIOO;
-static tuple_T4CIOO tuple_undefined_T4CIOO = { 2, CPY_INT_TAG, NULL, NULL };
 #endif
 
 
diff --git a/mypyc/test/test_emit.py b/mypyc/test/test_emit.py
index 54bf4eef3c74..e4ace3ec01f0 100644
--- a/mypyc/test/test_emit.py
+++ b/mypyc/test/test_emit.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 from mypyc.codegen.emit import Emitter, EmitterContext
 from mypyc.ir.ops import BasicBlock, Register, Value
-from mypyc.ir.rtypes import int_rprimitive
+from mypyc.ir.rtypes import RTuple, bool_rprimitive, int_rprimitive, str_rprimitive
 from mypyc.namegen import NameGenerator
 
 
@@ -49,3 +49,21 @@ def test_emit_line(self) -> None:
 CPyStatics[1]; /* [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,
                   21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29] */\n"""
         )
+
+    def test_emit_undefined_value_for_simple_type(self) -> None:
+        emitter = Emitter(self.context, {})
+        assert emitter.c_undefined_value(int_rprimitive) == "CPY_INT_TAG"
+        assert emitter.c_undefined_value(str_rprimitive) == "NULL"
+        assert emitter.c_undefined_value(bool_rprimitive) == "2"
+
+    def test_emit_undefined_value_for_tuple(self) -> None:
+        emitter = Emitter(self.context, {})
+        assert (
+            emitter.c_undefined_value(RTuple([str_rprimitive, int_rprimitive, bool_rprimitive]))
+            == "(tuple_T3OIC) { NULL, CPY_INT_TAG, 2 }"
+        )
+        assert emitter.c_undefined_value(RTuple([str_rprimitive])) == "(tuple_T1O) { NULL }"
+        assert (
+            emitter.c_undefined_value(RTuple([RTuple([str_rprimitive]), bool_rprimitive]))
+            == "(tuple_T2T1OC) { { NULL }, 2 }"
+        )