diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index ffa3a8edc..9e419629a 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -67,7 +67,6 @@
     "p-limit": "^3.0.1",
     "pumpify": "^2.0.0",
     "retry-request": "^5.0.0",
-    "stream-events": "^1.0.4",
     "teeny-request": "^8.0.0",
     "uuid": "^8.0.0"
   },
diff --git a/src/file.ts b/src/file.ts
index 6c7fc5cf0..9132f972d 100644
--- a/src/file.ts
+++ b/src/file.ts
@@ -31,8 +31,7 @@ import * as mime from 'mime';
 // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-var-requires
 const pumpify = require('pumpify');
 import * as resumableUpload from './resumable-upload';
-import {Duplex, Writable, Readable, PassThrough} from 'stream';
-import * as streamEvents from 'stream-events';
+import {Writable, Readable, PassThrough} from 'stream';
 import * as zlib from 'zlib';
 import * as http from 'http';
 
@@ -65,6 +64,7 @@ import {
   objectKeyToLowercase,
   unicodeJSONStringify,
   formatAsUTCISO,
+  PassThroughShim,
 } from './util';
 import {CRC32CValidatorGenerator} from './crc32c';
 import {HashStreamValidator} from './hash-stream-validator';
@@ -1363,7 +1363,7 @@ class File extends ServiceObject<File> {
 
     let validateStream: HashStreamValidator | undefined = undefined;
 
-    const throughStream = streamEvents(new PassThrough());
+    const throughStream = new PassThroughShim();
 
     let isServedCompressed = true;
     let crc32c = true;
@@ -1938,13 +1938,18 @@ class File extends ServiceObject<File> {
       stream.emit('progress', evt);
     });
 
-    const stream = streamEvents(
-      pumpify([
-        gzip ? zlib.createGzip() : new PassThrough(),
-        validateStream,
-        fileWriteStream,
-      ])
-    ) as Duplex;
+    const passThroughShim = new PassThroughShim();
+
+    passThroughShim.on('writing', () => {
+      stream.emit('writing');
+    });
+
+    const stream = pumpify([
+      passThroughShim,
+      gzip ? zlib.createGzip() : new PassThrough(),
+      validateStream,
+      fileWriteStream,
+    ]);
 
     // Wait until we've received data to determine what upload technique to use.
     stream.on('writing', () => {
diff --git a/src/util.ts b/src/util.ts
index 89ba6a2d5..a9710554c 100644
--- a/src/util.ts
+++ b/src/util.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 // limitations under the License.
 
 import * as querystring from 'querystring';
+import {PassThrough} from 'stream';
 
 export function normalize<T = {}, U = Function>(
   optionsOrCallback?: T | U,
@@ -166,3 +167,45 @@ export function formatAsUTCISO(
 
   return resultString;
 }
+
+export class PassThroughShim extends PassThrough {
+  private shouldEmitReading = true;
+  private shouldEmitWriting = true;
+
+  _read(size: number): void {
+    if (this.shouldEmitReading) {
+      this.emit('reading');
+      this.shouldEmitReading = false;
+    }
+    super._read(size);
+  }
+
+  _write(
+    chunk: never,
+    encoding: BufferEncoding,
+    callback: (error?: Error | null | undefined) => void
+  ): void {
+    if (this.shouldEmitWriting) {
+      this.emit('writing');
+      this.shouldEmitWriting = false;
+    }
+    // Per the nodejs documention, callback must be invoked on the next tick
+    process.nextTick(() => {
+      super._write(chunk, encoding, callback);
+    });
+  }
+
+  _final(callback: (error?: Error | null | undefined) => void): void {
+    // If the stream is empty (i.e. empty file) final will be invoked before _read / _write
+    // and we should still emit the proper events.
+    if (this.shouldEmitReading) {
+      this.emit('reading');
+      this.shouldEmitReading = false;
+    }
+    if (this.shouldEmitWriting) {
+      this.emit('writing');
+      this.shouldEmitWriting = false;
+    }
+    callback(null);
+  }
+}