diff --git a/distributed/core.py b/distributed/core.py
index 28467594b5..d5eacb7d3c 100644
--- a/distributed/core.py
+++ b/distributed/core.py
@@ -1174,11 +1174,11 @@ async def send_recv_from_rpc(**kwargs):
             except (RPCClosed, CommClosedError) as e:
                 if comm:
                     raise type(e)(
-                        f"Exception while trying to call remote method {key!r} before comm was established."
+                        f"Exception while trying to call remote method {key!r} using comm {comm!r}."
                     ) from e
                 else:
                     raise type(e)(
-                        f"Exception while trying to call remote method {key!r} using comm {comm!r}."
+                        f"Exception while trying to call remote method {key!r} before comm was established."
                     ) from e
 
             self.comms[comm] = True  # mark as open
diff --git a/distributed/tests/test_core.py b/distributed/tests/test_core.py
index af25353bf2..0e94dc96a5 100644
--- a/distributed/tests/test_core.py
+++ b/distributed/tests/test_core.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 from distributed.comm.tcp import TCPBackend, TCPListener
 from distributed.core import (
     ConnectionPool,
+    RPCClosed,
     Server,
     Status,
     _expects_comm,
@@ -923,6 +924,20 @@ async def test_rpc_serialization():
             assert result == {"result": inc}
 
 
+@gen_test()
+async def test_rpc_closed_exception():
+    async with Server({"echo": echo_serialize}) as server:
+        await server.listen("tcp://")
+
+        async with rpc(server.address, serializers=["msgpack"]) as r:
+            r.status = Status.closed
+            with pytest.raises(
+                RPCClosed,
+                match="Exception while trying to call remote method .* before comm was established.",
+            ):
+                await r.__getattr__("foo")()
+
+
 @gen_cluster()
 async def test_thread_id(s, a, b):
     assert s.thread_id == a.thread_id == b.thread_id == threading.get_ident()