diff --git a/sdk/common/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/internal/ThrowableUtil.java b/sdk/common/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/internal/ThrowableUtil.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a8709940dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sdk/common/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/internal/ThrowableUtil.java
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package io.opentelemetry.sdk.internal;
+
+/**
+ * This class is internal and is hence not for public use. Its APIs are unstable and can change at
+ * any time.
+ */
+public final class ThrowableUtil {
+
+  /**
+   * Throw the {@link Throwable} if fatal.
+   *
+   * <p>Taken from RxJava throwIfFatal, which was taken from scala.
+   */
+  public static void propagateIfFatal(Throwable t) {
+    if (t instanceof VirtualMachineError) {
+      throw (VirtualMachineError) t;
+    } else if (t instanceof ThreadDeath) {
+      throw (ThreadDeath) t;
+    } else if (t instanceof LinkageError) {
+      throw (LinkageError) t;
+    }
+  }
+
+  private ThrowableUtil() {}
+}
diff --git a/sdk/common/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/internal/ThrowableUtilTest.java b/sdk/common/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/internal/ThrowableUtilTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9da1aaa8e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sdk/common/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/internal/ThrowableUtilTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package io.opentelemetry.sdk.internal;
+
+import static io.opentelemetry.sdk.internal.ThrowableUtil.propagateIfFatal;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatCode;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+class ThrowableUtilTest {
+
+  @Test
+  void propagateIfFatal_Throws() {
+    assertThatCode(() -> propagateIfFatal(new RuntimeException("Error!")))
+        .doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    assertThatCode(() -> propagateIfFatal(new Exception("Error!"))).doesNotThrowAnyException();
+    assertThatThrownBy(() -> propagateIfFatal(new VirtualMachineError("Error!") {}))
+        .isInstanceOf(VirtualMachineError.class);
+    assertThatThrownBy(() -> propagateIfFatal(new ThreadDeath())).isInstanceOf(ThreadDeath.class);
+    assertThatThrownBy(() -> propagateIfFatal(new LinkageError())).isInstanceOf(LinkageError.class);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/sdk/metrics/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/internal/state/AsynchronousMetricStorage.java b/sdk/metrics/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/internal/state/AsynchronousMetricStorage.java
index 8bdad395b0..3c5d2e5412 100644
--- a/sdk/metrics/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/internal/state/AsynchronousMetricStorage.java
+++ b/sdk/metrics/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/internal/state/AsynchronousMetricStorage.java
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 
 package io.opentelemetry.sdk.metrics.internal.state;
 
+import static io.opentelemetry.sdk.internal.ThrowableUtil.propagateIfFatal;
+
 import io.opentelemetry.api.common.Attributes;
 import io.opentelemetry.api.metrics.ObservableDoubleMeasurement;
 import io.opentelemetry.api.metrics.ObservableLongMeasurement;
@@ -145,7 +147,8 @@ public final class AsynchronousMetricStorage<T> implements MetricStorage {
     try {
       try {
         metricUpdater.run();
-      } catch (RuntimeException e) {
+      } catch (Throwable e) {
+        propagateIfFatal(e);
         logger.log(
             Level.WARNING,
             "An exception occurred invoking callback for instrument "
diff --git a/sdk/metrics/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/internal/state/AsynchronousMetricStorageTest.java b/sdk/metrics/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/internal/state/AsynchronousMetricStorageTest.java
index f529a8fbc0..edee3a86be 100644
--- a/sdk/metrics/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/internal/state/AsynchronousMetricStorageTest.java
+++ b/sdk/metrics/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/metrics/internal/state/AsynchronousMetricStorageTest.java
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ public class AsynchronousMetricStorageTest {
   }
 
   @Test
-  void collectAndReset_CatchesRuntimeException() {
+  void collectAndReset_CallbackException() {
     Mockito.when(reader.getSupportedTemporality())
         .thenReturn(EnumSet.allOf(AggregationTemporality.class));
 
@@ -133,8 +133,8 @@ public class AsynchronousMetricStorageTest {
                 "unit",
                 InstrumentType.OBSERVABLE_GAUGE,
                 InstrumentValueType.LONG),
-            value -> {
-              throw new IllegalStateException("Error!");
+            unused -> {
+              throw new RuntimeException("Error!");
             });
     assertThat(
             metricStorage.collectAndReset(