diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index a92001dcec730e9c1395a6ee0923fc05dcbebcf1..3dcdc05be0eedaaf4392838d1bda7f850aa5eacf 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ python-defaults (2.7.3-2) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
 
   * dist_fallback: add python-imaging (which wasn't recognized before due to
     .pth file)
+  * dh_python2: ignore empty files while trying to normalize shebangs
 
  -- Piotr Ożarowski <piotr@debian.org>  Fri, 06 Jul 2012 23:03:32 +0200
 
diff --git a/debpython/tools.py b/debpython/tools.py
index 7b90f9523265a58c7ce57ec9ed83f7f2a3ce40b5..75e8704b3fc384d745faa455428e61a44b6392ec 100644
--- a/debpython/tools.py
+++ b/debpython/tools.py
@@ -100,6 +100,9 @@ def fix_shebang(fpath, replacement=None):
     try:
         with open(fpath) as fp:
             fcontent = fp.readlines()
+        if not fcontent:
+            log.debug('fix_shebang: ignoring empty file: %s', fpath)
+            return None
     except IOError:
         log.error('cannot open %s', fpath)
         return False